During the heroic age 19 men died on the antarctic continent an empire of ice touches on the politics of the race starting with james clark ross in 1841 and ending with earnest shackleton in 1931 antarctica was the destination of 17 scientific expeditions launched from ten different countries. From a pulitzer prize winning historian a riveting account of the great expeditions of antarcticas heroic age that restores their status as grand scientific enterprises published to coincide with the centenary of the first expeditions to reach the south pole an empire of ice presents a fascinating new take on antarctic exploration retold with added information its the first book to place the famed voyages of norwegian explorer roald amundsen his british rivals robert scott and . An empire of ice scott shackleton and the heroic age of antarctic science larson edward j larson edward j amazoncomau books. Most readers will know of the competition between the norwegian roald amundsen and the british explorers robert scott and ernest shackleton to reach the south pole between 1901 and 1913 a relatively unknown aspect of the british expeditions although it was their stated purpose was scientific research. An empire of ice scott shackleton and the heroic age of antarctic science tue aug 30 2011 1723 cet on the centenary of the first expeditions to reach the south pole a pulitzer prize winning historian of science presents a fascinating and bracing new take on antarctic exploration