Sponsors: The Antarctic Circle and Falcon Scott
Co-Sponsors:
Don Webster (New Zealand),
Janice Tipping (England)
Joan Boothe (USA)
Maggs Bros. Booksellers (England),
Kingsbridge Books (Paul Davies, England),
Meridian Rare Books (Stuart Leggatt, England),
Fram Museum (Geir Kløver, Norway)
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Principles of the SouthPole-sium
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Schedule/Agenda
Registration information and Form
Those who have registered
Those who are planning to attend
Those who have expressed interest in attending
Subjects of talks proposed to be presented so far
Subject ideas for talks that might be presented
Craobh Haven
Lunga House, our venue
Accommodation options
Links relative to Scotland
Wardroom Dinners on board the Discovery in Dundee
Updates & E-mails
Comments from those contacted
SUBJECTS OF TALKS PROPOSED TO BE PRESENTED SO FAR
Would you be interested in doing a short presentation? Let us know and we'll add it. (As the date gets closer, we'll be in touch to coordinate talks. It's possible not all can be accommodated though there'll certainly be time and opportunity to 'spread the word' informally during the gathering.)
ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY BY SPEAKER:
• I'll be prepared to talk about Emil Racovitza, the Romanian naturalist on board De Gerlache's Belgica.
Bill Barr
• I could do a short talk on the "Patagonia, etc." items in Spence or on less common Antarctic items.
Ted Benttinen
• "What the whalers really told Shackleton: how reality is lost in myth" (Or something like that).
Bob Burton
• "The Strange and Awful History of Scurvy." (Will be an after-dinner talk at the Saturday night banquet
Bob Burton
• BACK FROM THE BRINK POLAR CLASSICS WORTH RESCUING. A SOUTHPOLE-SIUM PRESENTATION BY JOHN BUTTON, BOOKCRAFT, STROUD, ENGLAND
I expect everyone at SouthPole-sium would love to have a complete collection of all the great classic Antarctic books, in very good if not fine condition. Maybe some of you have; if so you're either very rich or have inherited it from someone who was collecting when these gems were a lot cheaper than they are now!
For every copy of a polar classic in VG or F condition, there are likely to be several ex-library or 'reading copies', missing original bindings, the odd plate, some of the maps. The bad news is that they might be missing important components, even falling apart; the good news is that expert restoration and the replacement of the bits that are missing has never been easier.
John Button is both an exploration lover and a book collector, and his company Bookcraft has the research skills and restoration expertise to breathe new life into the sad and unloved 'seconds' of polar literature. In his presentation at the Polesium he will be showing many examples of what can be achieved, and explaining ways in which you can build an impressive library without spending a fortune.
John Button
• If you are short of inputs I could offer something like "Some personal treasures from my collection" and I could show a short film, set to music, about the Plymouth Shackleton event which lasts 12 minutes ONLY!!
Paul Davies
• Joe has indicated that he would like to show portions of original film footage from Byrd's 1939-41 expedition taken by his uncle, Roy Fitzsimmons.
Joe Fitzsimmons
• I was looking over the possible ideas for talks, and I would like to participate in one that deals with food and drink references in Antarctic literature. I would also like to see how food and nutrition concerns are addressed today, in comparison.
Richard Gutman
• May I introduce the Jose Manuel Moneta translation: Cuatro Anos en las Orcadas del Sur' 'Four Antarctic Years in the South Orkneys'.
Bob Headland
• I've heard from the press publishing my Antarctica and music book and no luck with getting copies to bring. It's still a good month off, they say, so I wanted to let you know this. However, I could talk about "Eating the audience", a moment in Antarctic history which concerns a penguin and a piper—which seems very apt for a Scottish meeting, and would fit with the suggestion from someone else for a talk about William Speirs Bruce, and also with the themes of Antarctica and food (now and then) which another person suggested.
Bernadette Hince
• After I'd written last night, thick-headed from a day's hard work editing, with my suggestion of a talk about Antarctic words (I still find these absolutely fascinating!), the proofs of the latest Antarctic book I've worked on, Antarctica: music, sounds and cultural connection arrived to check. This should be out in the next few weeks—before I leave? Well, possibly! I'll try.
I'd be very happy to talk about the scope of this book and—if I can bring a few copies—to launch it at the SouthPole-sium.
Bernadette Hince
• I would like a chance to give a 15 minute talk on the language of Antarctica, and on how I came to write The Antarctic Dictionary, published in the year 2000 by CSIRO and the Museum of Victoria.
Bernadette Hince
• I'd like to propose a talk/book launch for the event. I've been working on the final (to be published) third of the Irish sailor's Antarctic adventures (working title "Tom Crean's Discovery" and would like to plan on giving a short talk, in conjunction with scheduled book launch. I hope you can find a place in the lineup for me. I'm also planning to set up an event at Discovery Point in Dundee for the same general time.
David Hirzel
• I gave a presentation at the Scott Polar Research Institute in 2012 linking the lives and writings of Apsley Cherry-Garrard and T. E. Lawrence. As the SouthPole-sium is a book event, perhaps this might be the topic of a 15-minute talk.
Alison Jolley
• I can talk about the 'Shackleton Challenge', an outreach programme I devised in conjunction with Athy Heritage Centre / Shackleton Autumn School. This programme attempts to expose second level students to some of the transitional experiences they will encounter as they move from school to college, the workplace and adult life. Exposure in a safe way, with guidance and reflection, will hopefully better equip students as they move through this development stage.
The core of the Shackleton Challenge is a defined project delivered through teamwork. Currently it is running with 64 students in a second level school in Athy. The model has developed to the stage that a wider rollout is feasible.
The vision for the Shackleton Challenge is to link students in international teams, thus adding multiculturalism to the organisational and teamwork components already present.
Kevin Kenny
• I will talk about the C. A. Larsen Collection at the Fram Museum.
Geir Kløver
• I might present on something like "Literature available on the Falklands War, 1982"
Jim McAdam
• Happy to do a presentation on my Antarctic textile work which has been displayed nationally and internationally.
Cathy Corbishley Michel
• I would be happy to either do a "show and tell" snappy 10 minute talk maybe entitled "The other Scotsman in the tent with Scott and Wilson."
Also a talk on William Walter Archer, who was Chief Steward aboard the Terra Nova on Scott's second expedition. Archer took over as cook for the second winter at Cape Evans.
Gary Paine
• "Did smoking kill Scott and Shackleton?" Also "Frederick George Jackson's contribution to Antarctic Exploration."
Mick Parker
• Sir Philip Brocklehurst and The Ship Inn in Wincle.
Alan Payne
• Paul-Emile Victor and The French Polar Expeditions (1947-)
Jean Pimental
• I would be happy to talk about either of my expeditions—maybe narrow down the subject to one part such as Seamanship and how the James Caird survived the journey to South Georgia. Or Crossing the mountains of South Georgia then and now.
Trevor Potts
• I can review the first 'Australians' (British born, of course) in the Antarctic.
Pat Quilty
• Cook's Second Voyage; its books.
Michael Rosove
• Something stemming from his PhD thesis "Scott's Last Expedition and the Literature of Cold."
Philip Sidney
• To refine my stated subject, I've got two talks in mind: one on the Terra Nova library and one on Scott, comedy and penguins.
Philip Sidney
• Perhaps something on her new book "Scott and Charcot at the col du Lautaret."
Judy Skelton
• The Adelie Mail and Cape Adare Times, the Northern Party's newspaper, one issue, one copy.
Rob Stephenson
• An update on the census of copies of the Aurora Australis.
Rob Stephenson
• I'd be more than happy to speak either on my new book or on Birdie Bowers—David Wilson, Isobel Williams and I all took part in a panel event a couple of years ago at Cheltenham Literature Festival ('representing' Wilson, Evans and Birdie) so happy to take part in that format as well.
Ann Strathie
• Sounds great and I'd love to do something on my new book about the Antarctics in WWI—the book will be done and dusted by then, publication probably August/September 2015.
Anne Strathie
• a. I could give a presentation on the construction, launch and 60 year working life of the SS Terra Nova and her involvement in polar exploration in the Antarctic and the Arctic. Also the location and discovery by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, of the wreck of the ship off South West Greenland, as she was found in July, 1912. I
b. I could give a presentation comparing the southern polar journeys of Shackleton 1908/09 and Scott 1911/12, illustrating the different approach to tackling the route to the South Pole. The width of a pen board or blackboard and chalk would be required equipment which I do not have.
c. At present, I am well advanced on a biography of Surgeon Captain Edward Leicester Atkinson (1881-1929) DSO AM MRCS LRCP RN. "ANTARCTIC EXPLORER & WAR HERO—The man who found Captain Scott." I hope to have the book published early in 2015, in which case I can give a presentation and will have the books with me for sale.
Mike Tarver
• At the South Pole-sium I can give a 'show-and-tell' photo presentation of a whimsical and very special day—maybe unique—spent aboard RRS Discovery a long time ago.
Ken Thomas
• I am researching the life of William Speirs Bruce, the Scottish explorer who identified Coates Land and contributed much scientific knowledge about the Weddell Sea area. He was an ardent Nationalist and not interested in 'bagging the Pole.' I could give a short presentation on this enigmatic man.
Isobel Williams
• Five minutes on a quick update on the Scott Photos—I am just updating the book in the catalogue for the SPRI exhibition of the negatives.
David Wilson
ARRANGED BY SUBJECT:
Authors of or about recent books or works-in-progress:
• May I introduce the Jose Manuel Moneta translation: Cuatro Anos en las Orcadas del Sur' 'Four Antarctic Years in the South Orkneys'.
Bob Headland
• I would like a chance to give a 15 minute talk on the language of Antarctica, and on how I came to write The Antarctic Dictionary, published in the year 2000 by CSIRO and the Museum of Victoria.
Bernadette Hince
• After I'd written last night, thick-headed from a day's hard work editing, with my suggestion of a talk about Antarctic words (I still find these absolutely fascinating!), the proofs of the latest Antarctic book I've worked on, Antarctica: music, sounds and cultural connection arrived to check. This should be out in the next few weeks—before I leave? Well, possibly! I'll try.
I'd be very happy to talk about the scope of this book and—if I can bring a few copies—to launch it at the SouthPole-sium.
Bernadette Hince
• I'd like to propose a talk/book launch for the event. I've been working on the final (to be published) third of the Irish sailor's Antarctic adventures (working title "Tom Crean's Discovery" and would like to plan on giving a short talk, in conjunction with scheduled book launch. I hope you can find a place in the lineup for me. I'm also planning to set up an event at Discovery Point in Dundee for the same general time.
David Hirzel
• Something stemming from his PhD thesis "Scott's Last Expedition and the Literature of Cold."
Philip Sidney
• Perhaps something on her new book "Scott and Charcot at the col du Lautaret."
Judy Skelton
• The Adelie Mail and Cape Adare Times, the Northern Party's newspaper, one issue, one copy.
Rob Stephenson
• Sounds great and I'd love to do something on my new book about the Antarctics in WWI—the book will be done and dusted by then, publication probably August/September 2015.
Anne Strathie
At present, I am well advanced on a biography of Surgeon Captain Edward Leicester Atkinson (1881-1929) DSO AM MRCS LRCP RN. "ANTARCTIC EXPLORER & WAR HERO—The man who found Captain Scott." I hope to have the book published early in 2015, in which case I can give a presentation and will have the books with me for sale.
Mike Tarver
• I am researching the life of William Speirs Bruce, the Scottish explorer who identified Coates Land and contributed much scientific knowledge about the Weddell Sea area. He was an ardent Nationalist and not interested in 'bagging the Pole.' I could give a short presentation on this enigmatic man.
Isobel Williams
• Five minutes on a quick update on the Scott Photos—I am just updating the book in the catalogue for the SPRI exhibition of the negatives.
David Wilson
Otherwise book-related:
• I could do a short talk on the "Patagonia, etc." items in Spence or on less common Antarctic items.
Ted Benttinen
• BACK FROM THE BRINK POLAR CLASSICS WORTH RESCUING. A SOUTHPOLE-SIUM PRESENTATION BY JOHN BUTTON, BOOKCRAFT, STROUD, ENGLAND
I expect everyone at SouthPole-sium would love to have a complete collection of all the great classic Antarctic books, in very good if not fine condition. Maybe some of you have; if so you're either very rich or have inherited it from someone who was collecting when these gems were a lot cheaper than they are now!
For every copy of a polar classic in VG or F condition, there are likely to be several ex-library or 'reading copies', missing original bindings, the odd plate, some of the maps. The bad news is that they might be missing important components, even falling apart; the good news is that expert restoration and the replacement of the bits that are missing has never been easier.
John Button is both an exploration lover and a book collector, and his company Bookcraft has the research skills and restoration expertise to breathe new life into the sad and unloved 'seconds' of polar literature. In his presentation at the Polesium he will be showing many examples of what can be achieved, and explaining ways in which you can build an impressive library without spending a fortune.
John Button
• If you are short of inputs I could offer something like "Some personal treasures from my collection" and I could show a short film, set to music, about the Plymouth Shackleton event which lasts 12 minutes ONLY!!
Paul Davies
• I gave a presentation at the Scott Polar Research Institute in 2012 linking the lives and writings of Apsley Cherry-Garrard and T. E. Lawrence. As the SouthPole-sium is a book event, perhaps this might be the topic of a 15-minute talk.
Alison Jolley
• I might present on something like "Literature available on the Falklands War, 1982"
Jim McAdam
• Cook's Second Voyage; its books.
Michael Rosove
• The Terra Nova library.
Philip Sidney
• An update on the census of copies of the Aurora Australis.
Rob Stephenson
History:
• I'll be prepared to talk about Emil Racovitza, the Romanian naturalist on board De Gerlache's Belgica.
Bill Barr
• "What the whalers really told Shackleton: how reality is lost in myth" (Or something like that).
Bob Burton
• "The Strange and Awful History of Scurvy." (Will be an after-dinner talk at the Saturday night banquet
Bob Burton
• Joe has indicated that he would like to show portions of original film footage from Byrd's 1939-41 expedition taken by his uncle, Roy Fitzsimmons.
Joe Fitzsimmons
• I would be happy to either do a "show and tell" snappy 10 minute talk maybe entitled "The other Scotsman in the tent with Scott and Wilson."
Also a talk on William Walter Archer, who was Chief Steward aboard the Terra Nova on Scott's second expedition. Archer took over as cook for the second winter at Cape Evans.
Gary Paine
• Sir Philip Brocklehurst and The Ship Inn in Wincle.
Alan Payne
• Paul-Emile Victor and The French Polar Expeditions (1947-)
Jean Pimental
• I can review the first 'Australians' (British born, of course) in the Antarctic.
Pat Quilty
• a. I could give a presentation on the construction, launch and 60 year working life of the SS Terra Nova and her involvement in polar exploration in the Antarctic and the Arctic. Also the location and discovery by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, of the wreck of the ship off South West Greenland, as she was found in July, 1912. I
Mike Tarver
b. I could give a presentation comparing the southern polar journeys of Shackleton 1908/09 and Scott 1911/12, illustrating the different approach to tackling the route to the South Pole. The width of a pen board or blackboard and chalk would be required, equipment which I do not have.
Mike Tarver
Other:
• I was looking over the possible ideas for talks, and I would like to participate in one that deals with food and drink references in Antarctic literature. I would also like to see how food and nutrition concerns are addressed today, in comparison.
Richard Gutman
• I've heard from the press publishing my Antarctica and music book and no luck with getting copies to bring. It's still a good month off, they say, so I wanted to let you know this. However, I could talk about "Eating the audience", a moment in Antarctic history which concerns a penguin and a piper—which seems very apt for a Scottish meeting, and would fit with the suggestion from someone else for a talk about William Speirs Bruce, and also with the themes of Antarctica and food (now and then) which another person suggested.
Bernadette Hince
• I can talk about the 'Shackleton Challenge', an outreach programme I devised in conjunction with Athy Heritage Centre / Shackleton Autumn School. This programme attempts to expose second level students to some of the transitional experiences they will encounter as they move from school to college, the workplace and adult life. Exposure in a safe way, with guidance and reflection, will hopefully better equip students as they move through this development stage.
The core of the Shackleton Challenge is a defined project delivered through teamwork. Currently it is running with 64 students in a second level school in Athy. The model has developed to the stage that a wider rollout is feasible.
The vision for the Shackleton Challenge is to link students in international teams, thus adding multiculturalism to the organisational and teamwork components already present.
Kevin Kenny
• I will talk about the C. A. Larsen Collection at the Fram Museum.
Geir Kløver
• Happy to do a presentation on my Antarctic textile work which has been displayed nationally and internationally.
Cathy Corbishley Michel
• "Did smoking kill Scott and Shackleton?" Also "Frederick George Jackson's contribution to Antarctic Exploration."
Mick Parker
• I would be happy to talk about either of my expeditions—maybe narrow down the subject to one part such as Seamanship and how the James Caird survived the journey to South Georgia. Or Crossing the mountains of South Georgia then and now.
Trevor Potts
• A talk on Scott, comedy and penguins.
Philip Sidney
• At the South Pole-sium I can give a 'show-and-tell' photo presentation of a whimsical and very special day—maybe unique—spent aboard RRS Discovery a long time ago.
Ken Thomas