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Primary sourceBook1905

The Voyage of the Discovery

Robert Falcon Scott · 1905

Robert Falcon Scott's account of the Discovery Expedition, on which Shackleton served and which included a disputed claim about him.

Contains Scott's disputed claim that Shackleton had to be carried on the sledge during the southern journey.

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Front cover of a dark blue book. Gold lettering reads 'THE VOYAGE OF THE "DISCOVERY"' above and 'CAPT. ROBERT F. SCOTT, R.N.' below. A sepia illustration in the center shows a three-masted ship with rigging trapped in ice, and a small dark figure in heavy clothing stands in the foreground on the left.
Robert Falcon Scott, The Voyage of the Discovery, 1905.

About this source

What it is

This 1905 book by Captain Robert Falcon Scott describes the British National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1904 aboard the ship Discovery, on which Ernest Shackleton served as third officer.

Why it matters

The book includes Scott's account of the southern journey, in which he claimed Shackleton had to be carried on the sledge. Shackleton later disputed this account. The disagreement shows how explorers' own writings could shape - and sometimes distort - their rivals' reputations, and hints at the tension between Scott and Shackleton that shaped later Antarctic history.

Look closer

  • Why might Scott's account of Shackleton's condition during the journey have been disputed by Shackleton himself?
  • What does this disagreement tell you about relying on a single written source for history?
  • How might Scott's position as expedition leader have affected how he described his companions?

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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