Aurora Australis (book)

Aurora Australis was the "first book ever written, printed, illustrated and bound in the Antarctic".

Aurora Australis title page

Bibliographic details

Aurora Australis was written during the British Antarctic Expedition (BAE) or the Nimrod Expedition (1908–09) led by Ernest Shackleton. Produced entirely by members of the expedition, the book was edited by Shackleton, illustrated with lithographs and etchings by George Marston, printed by Ernest Joyce and Frank Wild, and bound by Bernard Day. The production of Aurora Australis was one of the cultural activities Shackleton encouraged while the expedition team over-wintered at Cape Royds on Ross Island in the McMurdo Sound, to ensure that "the spectre known as 'polar ennui' never made its appearance".

The copyright notice from Aurora Australis notes its origins.

Because the copies of Aurora Australis were unnumbered, it is unclear exactly how many were produced; it is believed that one hundred copies were created, of which less than seventy have been accounted for. Copies of the book are often identified by the original stencils on the inside of the covers, which were made of boards from wooden supply boxes. Shackleton may have originally intended to sell copies of the book on his return from the Antarctic, but instead they were all distributed among the members of the expedition and given to other "friends and benefactors of the expedition".

Sections

The book is divided into ten sections, each written by members of the crew. The sections are as follows.

• The Ascent of Mount Erubus — T. W. Edgeworth David.

An account of the first summiting of Mount Erebus by David and other members of the expedition.

• Midwinter Night — Nemo (E. H. Shackleton)

A short poem about the thoughts of a nightwatchman at the hut.

• Trials of a Messman — A Messman

An anonymous humorous account of being the messman for the expedition at Cape Royds.

• A Pony Watch — Putty (George Marston)

An account of undertaking a two-hour duty watch in the Pony Stables on Nimrod in harsh seas.

• Southward Bound — Lapsus Linguæ

A poem about the journey to Antarctica aboard Nimrod.

• An Interview with an Emperor — A. F. M.

A short story about Mackay speaking to an Emperor Penguin who informs him that he is intruding on a country estate.

• Erebus — Nemo (E. H. Shackleton)

A short poem on Mt Erebus and the landscape around it.

• An Ancient Manuscript — Shellback/Wand Erer (Frank Wild)

A romantic retelling of how the expedition was formed, the journey to Antarctica and the creation of their home at Cape Royds.

• Life under Difficulties — James Murray

Concerns Rotifers and how they are able to survive in the cold of Antarctica.

• Bathybia — Douglas Mawson

A fictional story about a world called "Bathybia", inside an Antarctic volcano where giant insects, tropical conditions and vast rivers are found.

Further reading

• Mawer, Allen (March 2009). "Light in the South" (PDF). The National Library Magazine. 1 (1): 8–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-26. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
• Shackleton, E. (1986). Aurora Australis. Paradigm Press. ISBN 978-0-948285-07-3
• Shacklteon, E. (1999). The Heart of the Antarctic: Being the Story of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907-1909. Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-0684-8
• Freemantle, James (2019). An Albion in the Antarctic. St James Park Press

External links

• Scanned copy at Archive.org
• Article and image by The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
• Article and cover image at the State Library of South Australia
• Aurora Australis online using the Turning the Pages software (requires Shockwave plugin)
• Aurora Australis scanned by eBooks@Adelaide and rendered into HTML