The Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen

Very thorough

Generally, in my day to day life, I feel that I was born too soon... I know that I would make an excellent planetary colonist. But I am also a diligent student of the lives and accomplishments of ground - breaking mountaineers and arctic explorers.This excellent work brings the details of Amundsen's "firsts" to light. He was, without doubt, one of, if not THE, greatest explorers on the planet. Ever. Things that you'd think would be elementary: proper planning, using skis on snow/ice at the poles, learning from arctic inhabitants... he basically pioneered.During my read, I found myself wondering... if Cook and Peary's claims on the North Pole have been discredited, then who actually DID get there first? Gee. Guess who!Although details about his personal life rounded out his character, to me these are secondary points that did nothing to sway my admiration for the man. He tended to keep his personal life separate from his professional life, and (especially in today's world where people tend to think you want to know all the minutiae of their business) I like that. His personal life was generally kept that way, which to me is an admirable trait.The language barrier has been instrumental in keeping Amundsen's accomplishments from being more widely known (as explained in the book), so I for one am very glad to see his story told in English. I was late finding it (published in 2012)... don't wait any longer! Definitely recommended.

Notice I use the title "most likely." This is only for the fact that I dropped this pile of rubbish after reading about a third of it.Huntford wasn't bad enough with his relentless comparison of apples and oranges (Scott vs. Amundsen). We now have a fresh new effort in whitewashing the bizarre character of the last barbarian.Roald Amundsen was unquestionably the greatest of the polar athletes. Unfortunately, he also had the type of self-destruct personality that makes this brand of rehabilitative writing necessary.When I got about 25% through this book I started getting the feeling that this was little more than a cleanup job for old Roald. At that moment I decided that I would read ahead to the one true test of this author's intent - how he handles the case of Amundsen and Nobile.OH, MY GOD, what a pack of lies!When I read the chapter title - "The Dirigible And The Fascist," at first I thought it was some sort of joke or sarcastic theme. But then, as I read on, I was not just disappointed that I had wasted 12 bucks on this crap, I was totally appalled.To accuse Umberto Nobile of being a Fascist has less merit than calling Mother Theresa a Nazi. If you read anything about the life of Nobile, by any author, you will quickly come to realize that Mussolini and his Blackshirts made Nobile's life pure hell from day one of their tyranny. This is why the Americans embraced him lovingly. This is why the Russians went through such great expense and risk (both personal and political) to rescue him and his crew with their best icebreaker. The Russians admired little Umberto because they knew he was no Fascist.Most Nobile historians will either admit or at least intimate that the Fascists would have preferred to have Nobile die on the ice. And this wasn't just after the crash of the Italia. High ranking Blackshirts like Italo Balbo and Umberto's Fascist-favored competitors in the Italian aviation industry were praying that he would simply disappear up north in the Norge.What this author needs to realize is that you don't have to scrub a man's back to reveal new and interesting aspects of his life. I love reading new and interesting facts about Adolph Hitler. The story of this demon has always intrigued me. But if you twist the truth so as to favor your subject, you'll only discredit yourself in the act.Of course, I'm making no comparisons here, but if you really want to understand Amundsen, READ HIS BOOKS. In his 1912, The South Pole (free with Kindle) he reveals his inner self with almost as much detail as our glorious Fuhrer did in Mein Kampf. He explains how he and his men killed a really cool Emperor Penguin just for s***s and giggles, clubbed five little puppies to death with the back of an axe, and drooled as they pondered the dog meat waiting for them at the end of a long trek. By the way, just so you know, according to Roald, Man's best friend is as tasty and delicious as any good cut of beef - and THAT was the actual quote.The shame of it all is that this book was obviously well researched. The details of the Belgica voyage are one example. I have always harbored the suspicion that Amundsen might have been gay, in the closet, resentful of it, and just like Shakelton's brother, used female relations as a cover. Evidently, this was not the case, and although this author was willing to deal with this mystery of his life, I see no point in reading further for these insights, simply because I can no longer trust what I read.But now let's go all the way back to the title, to set the record straight. Twice in my limited reading, I noticed that the author uses the phrase "The Last Viking" in suggesting that this was some sort of title that Amundsen earned for his stoic courage and savage determination to succeed. Rot! HIS MOTHER BESTOWED THIS TITLE UPON HIM! She used to say, "Rrrrroald! You are the last of the Vikings." And this was most likely when he was behaving like the ingrate that he was. If this author mentions this somewhere where I didn't read, well, that's as much credit as I can give him.Let's allow this hyperbolic garbage to sink down into the ice where it belongs.Ron DiGiovanniEaston, PA

well done

I'm thrilled to have found this book as I'm doing research on Amundsen for a lecture I'll be presenting to about 100 people aboard two eco-tourism trips this winter to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula.I've been reading several different books but this is the one I've chosen to take with me for reference.It's my 9th year as a kayak guide and lecturer in Antarctica and I've found in general our passengers get a bit overwhelmed with stories and lectures about Shackleton and Scott so I believe this will satisfy and/or open new territory and understanding.It piqued my interest as well, both my parents were Norwegian, born about the time of Amundsen's passing. I believe not only was he a great leader but possessed keen insight into people's characters, created good working teams and, through a number of positive factors, achieved great things.One has to admire his tireless and impeccable preparations, he never lost a man on any of his expeditions due to careful planning and execution of gear (furs), food (fresh meat) and methods of travel (skis and dog sledges).I choose not to compare his South Pole exploration with Scott's too much, I'd found myself growing weary of others' scathing critiques.I've chosen instead to stick only to Amundsen's story, it's so compelling and stands very well on its own.I've found this book enlightening and refreshing in that the author has stuck with his main character and not fallen into the comparison trap.Amundsen's story is detailed with enough of his own research we know he'd done his homework.To do anything less might spell disaster, which others had suffered.As you've said there had to be more behind the man than his stoic public persona, the image he fed to the world.The private image can generally be more interesting than the public one, as this book shows.

Never heard of him growing up and was very intrigued by his life story and amazed that I still don’t recall his name ever mentioned in history classes. He traveled from the US to Europe like it was next door, he was a badass, very admirable. Very well written by Brown.

Having just returned from Arctic Norway and been reminded of Amundsen's National Hero status (carvings of him in ice hotel, etc) I realised I'd never read a biography of him separate from the Scott controversy/rivalry so carefully nurtured over the years. Having read a number of books on the protagonists and some original documents (but not Roland Huntford's notorious book) I was looking for a relatively unbiased biography and this seemed to fit the bill, although, reading the author's notes, it is clear he was, as is almost the norm since the book's publication, heavily indebted to Huntford. However, he did his best, given this and the fact that a biography of a man so deliberately private and devious made it hard to dig out anything much of personal interest. Bown wrote clearly and lucidly about his background ; like Scott, from a middle class mercantile family, but unlike Scott's family a richer and more successful one; Amundsen was privately educated, well off, and initially self-funding. His relationship with his brothers was not edifying, and lack of anything detailed in the way of private correspondence precluded any real feeling for their dynamic, apart from the final catastrophic bust-up with his loyal, effective manager/brother Leon. The author was very good on Amundsen's approach to a career as a polar explorer, covering his methods, relentlessly single minded self training and the really astonishing amount of detailed planning and organisation he put into his expeditions, particularly his controversial South Polar one. I felt that statements the author made about his subject (towards whom, like most biographers, he becomes partial and emotionally entangled) were not born out by the subsequent stated facts. I take issue with the statement that he was democratic; his very small, personally chosen teams were rarely diluted by imposed personnel; in the main they were all of a similar background/class (apart from the jolly cook Lindstrom) and there was no need to replicate the RN divisions Scott has been so often criticised for (despite the fact that the bulk of his workforce were RN and would find it entirely normal and acceptable). However, Amundsen was always primus inter pares and went to great lengths to ensure he was in sole command and control and that his word was law. He bore awesome grudges against any he perceived had gone against him. It was interesting to note that although he paid lip service to scientific research being part of his expeditions for fund raising purposes, he actually despised the science element and whenever possible dispensed with scientists and their multifarious equipment.I also take serious issue with the statement that he was such a wonderful judge of men. Particularly in the latter part of his life, he appeared to make some catastrophic choices of business partners, and his co-operation with the Fascist Nobile can hardly be described as prescient (despite Bown tying himself in knots assuring us how much the Norwegians were against Mussolini et al). Clearly, personal ambition and desire to carry out lucrative trips meant that Amundsen would consort with almost anyone, whatever the shadiness of their background, if they were prepared to put up solid money.I do wonder if Amundsen's impaired judgement in later life was a result of the stove poisoning incident - it clearly affected his health quite severely and some of his worst judgements took place subsequently.However, no one can deny Amundsen his triumphs of planning and execution. Reading how long he had prepared, studied native tribes, husky breeding and training, sledge loading, perfecting his snow skills and his meticulous laying out of depots, it is entirely predictable that he would reach the South Pole well ahead of the Scott expedition with its cumbersome load of scientists, equipment and personnel imposed as placemen for all the warring committee interests.I rather lost interest in the latter part of the book, although saddened by Amundsen's obvious decline and falling out with his backers, and above all, his loyal brother Leon. It is unsurprising that he was mainly involved with married women; this gave him some feminine interest with only a remote chance they would actually leave their husbands and prove a severe hindrance to such a single minded explorer who planned endless absences as a matter of course. It was sad that his last amour seemed to offer the kind of companionship that might have worked. We will never know. Ultimately I felt unmoved by Amundsen the man, recalling the old Civil War saw - Right but Repulsive (Roundheads/Amundsen) v Wrong but Romantic (Scott). I found the book interesting rather than riveting, and would really give it 3.5 stars.

Amundsen was undoubtedly the greatest of the polar explorers in the heroic age of polar exploration. He was disliked in England because he beat the national champion, Captain Robert Scott to reach the South Pole first.In a way Amundsen had slightly better luck than Scott, but there is no doubt he was far better prepared. Much of his life was spent in preparing for polar expeditions. He sought out the best authorities in Norway and America. He decided on skis from Norway and Eskimo dogs from Canada. He tested the best equipment and clothing.He succeed the traversing the North West Passage which had defeated English expeditions for centuries. He wished to get to the North Pole, but when it was announced that Peary had forestalled him, he switched to the South Pole. Superbly prepared he got there and back with out a hitch. Scott died on the way back.But this book is about his whole life. He always aimed at the Pole, but when both were reached his fife remained empty. He died during an ill-prepared rescue attempt in the North. Perhaps it was the way he wanted to go

I thoroughly enjoyed this biography on the larger than life Roald Amundsen. Any individual that conquers not one, nor two but three prestigious geographical prizes is truly an extraordinary individual and that is how he is portrayed. I particularly enjoyed the author being as balanced as possible on the man’s traits, doing his utmost to be balanced and provide a warts-and-all account.If there were a criticism, though not one I would accuse the author of, it is that it is obvious they are a great admirer Amundsen. Although this is probably obvious, as they chose to write a book about him, it does leave a few question marks around bias. Personally I feel the author done a fantastic job.

I was keen to learn more about Amundsen, and this book went some way towards this. It was, however, difficult to extract actual dates and facts hidden away in the text. This at least could have been easily solved, by providing a timeline at the back of the book, and some detailed annotated maps at the start of each section.It was very disappointing that the author should seem to rave about Roland Huntford (and thus critical of Scott), when Huntford’s book has long since been denigrated as being a piece of malignant sensationalist journalism, and far from painting a realistic point of view of Scott (see Ranulph Fiennes book for a far more balanced account).The book gives you some insight into Amundsen, who was no doubt one of the great explorers, but as I say, it could have been so much better.

This biography of Roald Amundsen, arguably the greatest of explorers of the heroic age of polar exploration, is well-written, revealing and comprehensive.What I found most appealing was that whilst it is clear that Stephen Bown has undertaken prodigious research, this is no dry academic treatise. Instead, Bown tells a story which increasingly peels back the layers, revealing the inner man who was the complex character that Amundsen undoubtedly was.By any account, the Norwegian Amundsen achieved so much in his life of 55 years. None of his expeditions were state sponsored, though he did receive state grants and sponsorship. Essentially he was a private individual who badgered, persuaded and inspired others to support him. He was a master mariner. He was the first to traverse the North-West passage and the first to reach the South Pole. He traversed the North-East passage. He was the first to fly (almost) to the North Pole (and arguably the first man there) and the first to traverse the Arctic in a dirigible. And he trekked many thousands of miles through desolate frozen territory surviving on the skills which he had acquired by close study of the ways of indigenous Arctic peoples. Essentially he was a modern man, informed by the past, but always open to new ways to explore, as technology developed.What I particularly liked about this biography, in addition to its style of writing, was that whilst Bown was clearly a great admirer of Amundsen, he managed to remain even-handed. So, for instance, though he felt Amundsen's approach and method was much more likely to succeed in getting to the South Pole than were Scott's, he refrained from denigrating Scott, as others have done. In addition, he does not shrink from identifying some of Amundsen's perceived shortcomings, especially during the latter part of his life. Particularly revealing was his relationship with Nobile, the Italian whom he joined forces with to cross the Arctic in a dirigible. Amundsen's own account of this venture (included in his 'My Life as an Explorer') is vitriolic and one-sided, whereas Bown reveals much more of the two-sided nature of the clash between the 2 protagonists.Amundsen's life ended as he evidently would have wished, not as an ageing but accomplished has-been, but on yet another mission. (A forlorn attempt to rescue Nobile from another venture). A sad end? Perhaps. But what a man! And Stephen Bown has captured the essence of that man beautifully.