In the Land of White Death

October 2, 2000
Between 1912 and 1914, as navigator aboard the doomed Santa Anna, Albanov completed one of the most amazing journeys in the history of Arctic exploration. After the Russian ship became frozen in the polar ice cap, Albanov led 13 members of his ship's crew across the ice and back to civilization. A friend convinced him to publish the harrowing account of how he survived. Although the book was originally published in Russian in 1917, and subsequently translated into French and German, this is its first translation into English. This is a particularly surprising turn, considering the quality of Albanov's writing. Fast-paced yet descriptive, Albanov's prose skillfully depicts the Siberian arctic so the reader can envision his plight. Albanov resists the temptation to embellish his situation, keeping his account true to the diary he kept while making the journey. The reader ends up sympathizing with, but not feeling sorry for, the author, who made the return voyage using makeshift sledges and kayaks and broken navigational equipment, and who dealt with a team of incompetent companions, all but one of whom died on the journey. Here is a vivid portrait of a courageous leader, a skilled explorer and a practical problem solver. 100,000 first printing.

October 15, 2000
This is the story of Russian navigator Albanov and his small crew, who set sail in the Siberian Arctic in 1912 and were trapped by an iceberg. The stranded crew struggled to stay alive aboard the ship for over a year until 13 of the crew members decided to walk on foot across the ice, hoping to reach civilization. The remaining 20 chose to stay onboard the ship. Of all these men, only two survived. Written in a journal format, this book tells the story of their brutal struggle in an unfriendly land of ice and snow. Originally published in Russia in 1917 and in France in 1928, and finally translated into English this year, In the Land of White Death is full of adventure and is riveting to read. The preface was written by series editor Jon Krakauer, the author of Into Thin Air. Recommended for all public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/00.]--Stephanie Papa, Baltimore Cty. Circuit Court Lib., MD

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2000
Albanov's annals record his retreat in 1914 to civilization from a disastrous voyage into the Arctic Ocean. First published in Russian in 1917, the book has languished in oblivion, perhaps overshadowed by the Russian Revolution, or perhaps because ship and crew were hunters, not explorers. Its first U.S. publication, as part of Modern Library's Exploration series, edited by "Into Thin Air" author Jon Krakauer, capitalizes on the growing popularity of adventure books in general and on the taste for polar exploits in particular. Albanov's story begins with his admission of his motivation for leaving the "Santa Anna": conflict with his captain. By early 1914, the ship and crew, who had sailed for new hunting grounds off Siberia, had drifted in ice for two winters. Ten men joined Albanov in man-hauling sledges and kayaks toward the nearest known land: Franz Josef Land, an archipelago hundreds of miles south. The ensuing ordeal, during which Albanov kept the diary that became this book, tormented the men with cold, blizzards, and hunger. No mere describer of discomfort, Albanov reflects on the gradations by which men adjust to them, along with their gyrations of hope and despair of survival on ice that drifts and splits. Though not a braggart, Albanov also notes his singular leadership in cajoling an increasingly lethargic group to press on despite deaths, one incident of thievery, and multiple disheartening setbacks. His understated sorrow at the lost lives, and thankfulness for his own and one fellow survivor's deliverance, will not release readers until the final page. As said in the introduction by David Roberts, Albanov's work truly merits inclusion with the writings of Shackleton and Scott in the canon of polar literature. A 100,000 first printing should help generate the attention this lost masterpiece deserves. \plain\f2\fs17 (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)