Updated on January 29, 2018

Does the white continent at the bottom of the world fascinate you? Whether you’re looking for a guide to bring along on your Antarctica cruise or you’re more of an armchair traveler, there are many Antarctica books out there for you.

These books about Antarctica will give you fun facts, beautiful photos, insights on identifying wildlife, fascinating first-hand accounts and detailed information on how to get the most our of your trip.

 

1. TRAVEL GUIDES

 

Lonely Planet Antarctica: A relevant and up-to-date guide on what to see in Antarctica. This book is filled with beautiful full-color photos as well as interesting information about the history and geography of the white continent.

 

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Antarctica Cruising Guide: A definitive field guide to Antarctica that caters to South Pole visitors traveling by luxury liner, adventure cruise, or private boat. This guide that is packed with color photos, wildlife descriptions and detailed area maps of the Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Ross Sea.

 

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2. ANTARCTIC WILDLIFE

 

Antarctica – A Guide To The Wildlife: A practical pocket wildlife guide to the region. It provides full coverage of identification, breeding, feeding and the best locations to observe the various Antarctic species.

 

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Antarctic Wildlife – A Visitor’s Guide: A definitive identification guide to the birds and marine mammals of the Antarctic Peninsula, Drake Passage, and Beagle Channel. The full-color photographs are given for each species, together with the terrestrial plants that you might encounter. Detailed species accounts help you identify key features and give tips on where to look and interesting facts.

 

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The Complete Guide To Antarctic Wildlife: This beautifully illustrated book is a complete guide to the wildlife and natural history of the Antarctic Region. It covers the Antarctic continent, the Southern Ocean and the Subantarctic Islands.

 

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3. HISTORY OF EXPLORATION

 

Endurance: The definitive account of Ernest Shackleton’s doomed attempt to cross the Antarctic continent on foot. While remaining true to the documentary record, the author crafts a narrative that immerses you in the sensory world of his characters.

 

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The Last Viking: The life of Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole. This book goes beyond Amundsen’s conflicted legacy, to show a humorous storyteller and a visionary leader.

 

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Alone On The Ice: A thrilling account of the survival of Douglas Mawson, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition. This book is illustrated by Frank Hurly’s famous photographs of Antarctica.

 

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Scott And Amundsen – The Last Place On Earth: A fascinating account of the race to the South Pole. The tale is an easy to read history that captures the driving ambitions of the era of polar exploration. It also tells about the two men who set off to be the first to the pole.

 

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4. MEMOIRS

 

Antarctica: An intimate portrait of the world’s most mysterious continent. This book compiles science, natural history, poetry, history, what it feels like to be in Antarctica and why people decide to go there to capture the whole story of the white continent.

 

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Empire Antarctica – Ice, Silence & Emperor Penguins: The story of a basecamp doctor who spends fourteen months at an isolated British research station. It tells of the author’s fascination with the world’s loneliest continent, as well as the emperor penguins who weather the winter with him.

 

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One Day, One Night: This book offers a detailed account of the challenges and the wonder of life at the South Pole Station. Go on a journey to a place that is frozen and in perpetual darkness for the eight months of winter in the most isolated place on Earth.

 

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Back At The Helm: An adventure tale of two Swedish bankers who leave their jobs to circumnavigate the world in a sailboat. In this book, the two tell about their journey and their choice to lead another kind of life. They give practical information such as how to equip a yacht to cope with an extreme circumnavigation, weather and route planning.

 

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Think South: A story of what it takes to move forty dogs, three sleds, twenty tons of food and gear and six men from all over the world across four thousand of the coldest miles on earth.

 

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Big Dead Place: A memoir of a garbage man at McMurdo Station. This hilarious book goes beyond the romantic notions of exploration of the wild frontiers as the author talks candidly about life on the ice at the research station.

 

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