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The Resource Explorer : the life of Richard E. Byrd, Lisle A. Rose

Explorer : the life of Richard E. Byrd, Lisle A. Rose

Creator
Contributor
Summary
"2Danger was all that thrilled him,3 Dick Byrd{u2019}s mother once remarked, and from his first pioneering aviation adventures in Greenland in 1925, through his daring flights to the top and bottom of the world and across the Atlantic, Richard E. Byrd dominated the American consciousness during the tumultuous decades between the world wars. He was revered more than Charles Lindbergh, deliberately exploiting the public{u2019}s hunger for vicarious adventure. Yet some suspected him of being a poseur, and a handful reviled him as a charlatan who claimed great deeds he never really accomplished. Then he overreached himself, foolishly choosing to endure a blizzard-lashed six-month polar night alone at an advance weather observation post more than one hundred long miles down a massive Antarctic ice shelf. His ordeal proved soul-shattering, his rescue one of the great epics of polar history. As his star began to wane, enemies grew bolder, and he struggled to maintain his popularity and political influence, while polar exploration became progressively bureaucratized and militarized. Yet he chose to return again and again to the beautiful, hateful, haunted secret land at the bottom of the earth, claiming, not without justification, that he was 2Mayor of this place.3 Lisle A. Rose has delved into Byrd{u2019}s recently available papers together with those of his supporters and detractors to present the first complete, balanced biography of one of recent history{u2019}s most dynamic figures. Explorer covers the breadth of Byrd{u2019}s astonishing life, from the early days of naval aviation through his years of political activism to his final efforts to dominate Washington{u2019}s growing interest in Antarctica. Rose recounts with particular care Byrd{u2019}s two privately mounted South Polar expeditions, bringing to bear new research that adds considerable depth to what we already know. He offers views of Byrd{u2019}s adventures that challenge earlier criticism of him{u2014}including the controversy over his claim to being the first to have flown over the North Pole in 1926{u2014}and shows that the critics{u2019} arguments do not always mesh with historical evidence. Throughout this compelling narrative, Rose offers a balanced view of an ambitious individual who was willing to exaggerate but always adhered to his principles{u2014}a man with a vision of himself and the world that inspired others, who cultivated the rich and famous, and who used his notoriety to espouse causes such as world peace. Explorer paints a vivid picture of a brilliant but flawed egoist, offering the definitive biography of the man and armchair adventure of the highest order."--Publishers website
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xix, 544 pages
Isbn
9780826217820
Instance
Label
Explorer : the life of Richard E. Byrd
Title
Explorer
Title remainder
the life of Richard E. Byrd
Statement of responsibility
Lisle A. Rose
Creator
Contributor
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
"2Danger was all that thrilled him,3 Dick Byrd{u2019}s mother once remarked, and from his first pioneering aviation adventures in Greenland in 1925, through his daring flights to the top and bottom of the world and across the Atlantic, Richard E. Byrd dominated the American consciousness during the tumultuous decades between the world wars. He was revered more than Charles Lindbergh, deliberately exploiting the public{u2019}s hunger for vicarious adventure. Yet some suspected him of being a poseur, and a handful reviled him as a charlatan who claimed great deeds he never really accomplished. Then he overreached himself, foolishly choosing to endure a blizzard-lashed six-month polar night alone at an advance weather observation post more than one hundred long miles down a massive Antarctic ice shelf. His ordeal proved soul-shattering, his rescue one of the great epics of polar history. As his star began to wane, enemies grew bolder, and he struggled to maintain his popularity and political influence, while polar exploration became progressively bureaucratized and militarized. Yet he chose to return again and again to the beautiful, hateful, haunted secret land at the bottom of the earth, claiming, not without justification, that he was 2Mayor of this place.3 Lisle A. Rose has delved into Byrd{u2019}s recently available papers together with those of his supporters and detractors to present the first complete, balanced biography of one of recent history{u2019}s most dynamic figures. Explorer covers the breadth of Byrd{u2019}s astonishing life, from the early days of naval aviation through his years of political activism to his final efforts to dominate Washington{u2019}s growing interest in Antarctica. Rose recounts with particular care Byrd{u2019}s two privately mounted South Polar expeditions, bringing to bear new research that adds considerable depth to what we already know. He offers views of Byrd{u2019}s adventures that challenge earlier criticism of him{u2014}including the controversy over his claim to being the first to have flown over the North Pole in 1926{u2014}and shows that the critics{u2019} arguments do not always mesh with historical evidence. Throughout this compelling narrative, Rose offers a balanced view of an ambitious individual who was willing to exaggerate but always adhered to his principles{u2014}a man with a vision of himself and the world that inspired others, who cultivated the rich and famous, and who used his notoriety to espouse causes such as world peace. Explorer paints a vivid picture of a brilliant but flawed egoist, offering the definitive biography of the man and armchair adventure of the highest order."--Publishers website
Biography type
individual biography
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1936-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Rose, Lisle A.
Dewey number
  • 919.8/904
  • B
Illustrations
  • illustrations
  • portraits
Index
index present
LC call number
G585.B8
LC item number
R68 2008
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/relatedWorkOrContributorName
University of Missouri Press
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Byrd, Richard Evelyn
  • Explorers
Label
Explorer : the life of Richard E. Byrd, Lisle A. Rose
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 515-519) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Control code
167769622
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xix, 544 pages
Isbn
9780826217820
Isbn Type
(alk. paper)
Lccn
2007035754
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations, portraits
System control number
(OCoLC)167769622
Label
Explorer : the life of Richard E. Byrd, Lisle A. Rose
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 515-519) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Control code
167769622
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xix, 544 pages
Isbn
9780826217820
Isbn Type
(alk. paper)
Lccn
2007035754
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations, portraits
System control number
(OCoLC)167769622

Subject

Genre

Library Locations

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      38.944491 -92.326012

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