The Voyage of the 'Discovery.'

Robert F. Scott’s The Voyage of the “Discovery” (1905) offers a detailed, first-hand account of the British National Antarctic Expedition of 1901–1904, the venture that inaugurated his career as one of the central figures in polar exploration. Across its two volumes, Scott records the arduous yet pioneering journey that brought his crew into the uncharted south, where they combined scientific investigation with geographical discovery. The expedition achieved landmark accomplishments: mapping previously unknown coastlines, studying glaciological formations, and pushing further south than any prior explorers. These achievements not only established Britain’s role in the heroic age of Antarctic exploration but also forged Scott’s reputation as a capable leader under extreme conditions. Importantly, the Discovery voyage introduced a generation of figures who would later achieve their own renown, including Ernest Shackleton, embarking on his first polar journey, and Edward Wilson, the naturalist whose devotion to science and loyalty to Scott would ultimately bind him to the tragic fate of the Terra Nova expedition.