The Worst Journey in the World (Preface)

What it is

This is the preface to The Worst Journey in the World, a 1922 memoir written by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, a member of Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to Antarctica. The book recounts the expedition from its departure from England in 1910 to its return in 1913.

Why it matters

In this preface, Cherry-Garrard offered a comparison of the leadership styles of Scott, Roald Amundsen, and Shackleton that became famous, later paraphrased as advice about which leader one would want in different circumstances. As a firsthand account by someone who worked alongside Scott, it gives an insider's judgement of Shackleton's reputation among fellow explorers of the era.

Look closer

• Why might a member of a rival expedition's assessment of Shackleton carry particular weight?
• What does it suggest that this comparison became so widely quoted afterward?
• What biases might Cherry-Garrard have had in judging Shackleton's leadership?