"On July 8, 1879, Captain George Washington De Long and his team of thirty-two men set sail from San Francisco on the USS Jeanette." A summary? A beginning? No, it's a historical statement documenting an an outstanding story about men who seek to find a path through North Pole ice. Dreams are made of such stuff that De Long and his colleagues hoped to fulfill. With careful research with the lure of arctic always before him, De Long gathered a carefully selected crew.

De Long is so human, so careful and so driven and the tale is so wonderfully told woven with historical facts that one feels one is on the Jeannette with the waves sloshing against her sides and the wind blowing into the sails. And the ship glides toward her destiny with its determined dreamers.

Better than any fiction book I've read, I devoured it quickly from start to finish.

Such meaningful stories should be told and always shared with readers who glory in them.

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I didn't realize I had ordered this in the audio CD version but I am a quilter and I do like to listen to audio books while I'm sewing. It held my attention so much that I didn't want to stop listening to it. It's a fascinating story of endurance and discovery; very well written.

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One of the most amazing accounts of an arctic expedition I've read. The poor crew's experience is nightmarish. The story's a bit long but utterly engrossing and well worth the time spent for anyone who's even a little curious in early arctic voyages. I had hoped for a better outcome for the Jeannette, but there were survivors though it came at a huge price. The tale is haunting. Highlights are the in-depth character backgrounds, attention to detail (all those surviving records!), and the various photos and maps.

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