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Primary sourceBook1919

South

Ernest Shackleton · 1919

Shackleton's own 1919 account of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, describing the loss of the Endurance and the boat journey to South Georgia.

Shackleton's own narrative of his expedition, written and dictated by him, is the central primary source for his leadership and survival story.

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Front cover of the book South by Shackleton. Dark navy cloth with a silver line-drawing of a three-masted ship with rigging, breaking through waves, above the title SOUTH and author name SHACKLETON in silver capital letters.
Ernest Shackleton, South, London: William Heinemann, 1919 (second impression, December 1919).

About this source

What it is

South is a book written by Ernest Shackleton, published in London in 1919. It tells the story of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917, including the crushing of the ship Endurance, the drift on the ice, the open-boat journey, and the crossing of South Georgia. Shackleton worked with journalist Edward Saunders and expedition member Leonard Hussey to prepare the text.

Why it matters

The book shaped how Shackleton's leadership during the expedition's disasters has been remembered ever since. It also honours the men who served with him, some of whom died in the expedition or in the First World War, and includes scientific reports and diary extracts from other crew members such as Ernest Joyce and Joseph Stenhouse.

Look closer

  • Why might Shackleton have wanted help writing his own story?
  • What does the dedication to comrades who died suggest about how he wanted the expedition remembered?
  • What parts of the story come from other people's diaries and logs rather than Shackleton himself?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ernest Shackleton on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Shackleton's Ship Endurance Illuminated, Weddell Sea, Antarctica, 1915

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My South Polar Expedition

Ernest Shackleton · 30 March 1910 (recorded); July 1910 (released)

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Ernest Shackleton · 1909

Sepia-toned studio portrait of a man with dark hair parted in the middle, wearing a dark suit, white collared shirt, and polka-dot tie, facing the camera. Handwritten signature and date 1909 appear at lower right.Photograph

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Ernest Shackleton Studio Portrait

George Charles Beresford · 1909

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