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Free Alternative History eBooks
Explore historical speculative writings, unusual cosmologies, hidden-world stories, and polar journeys. Inclusion preserves the source material and does not endorse its claims.
128 books · Page 3 of 6
The Open Polar Sea
Hayes recounts his voyage aboard the United States and his attempts to travel farther into the Arctic. The narrative brings together observations of ice, coastlines, weather, and the people encountered along the way.
The North Pole: Its Discovery in 1909
Peary presents his account of the expedition supported by the Peary Arctic Club and the journey he reported to the North Pole. Preparations, camps, sledging methods, and conditions on the moving ice receive detailed attention.
A Negro Explorer at the North Pole
Henson recounts his experiences as a member of Peary’s Arctic expeditions and his part in the 1909 polar journey. His account describes travel on the ice, relationships with fellow travelers, and the practical work behind the expedition.
Through the First Antarctic Night, 1898–1899
Cook describes the Belgica expedition and its winter trapped in Antarctic pack ice. The narrative records the landscape, scientific work, health challenges, and daily experience of the long polar night.
South with Scott
Evans recounts his work with Scott’s Antarctic expedition, from the voyage south to the sledging journeys. The account offers his view of expedition organization, navigation, endurance, and the return from the polar plateau.
Shackleton in the Antarctic
Shackleton describes the British Antarctic expedition of 1907–1909 and its attempts to travel into the continent’s interior. The account follows sledging, scientific observations, and the decisions that shaped the southern journey.
Shackleton’s Last Voyage: The Story of the Quest
Wild tells the story of the Quest expedition, its route through southern waters, and the work continued after Shackleton’s death. The voyage includes remote islands, ice, and the challenges faced by the small expedition ship.
Into the Frozen South
Marr recounts his experiences as a young member of the Quest expedition. His account follows shipboard life, remote southern islands, Antarctic waters, and the work of the expedition’s crew.
Our Polar Flight
Amundsen and Ellsworth describe their attempt to fly toward the North Pole in 1925. The account covers the aircraft, preparations, forced landing on the ice, and the effort to make a return flight possible.
New Lands Within the Arctic Circle
Payer recounts the Tegetthoff expedition and the discovery and exploration of Franz Josef Land. Ice drift, sledging, mapping, and the eventual retreat from the ship shape the narrative.
Shores of the Polar Sea
Moss records the British Arctic expedition of 1875–1876 through descriptions of its coastlines, winter quarters, and sledging journeys. His account combines close observations of the northern environment with expedition life.
The Great Frozen Sea
Markham recounts the voyage of the Alert and the British Arctic expedition’s sledging work. The narrative focuses on conditions in the far north, the movement of the ice, and travel across the polar pack.
An Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea, 1846–1847
Rae describes an expedition along Arctic shores that combined geographical investigation with travel and survival in the north. The account records routes, observations, winter conditions, and practical methods of living off the land.
A Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea
Franklin and Richardson recount the expedition of 1825–1827 along the northern coast of North America. The narrative brings together the journeys of separate parties, geographical discoveries, and scientific observations.
In the Arctic Seas: The Voyage of the Fox
M’Clintock describes the voyage of the Fox in search of evidence about Franklin’s missing expedition. The account follows travel through ice, winter preparations, and the discoveries made by the search parties.
Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal
Osborn records eighteen months in the polar regions during the search for Franklin’s expedition. The journal combines accounts of ice navigation, sledging, winter life, and the people of the search squadron.
The Far North: Exploration in the Arctic Regions
Kane recounts Arctic exploration undertaken in the search for Franklin and the difficulties of working in extreme northern conditions. The account describes the expedition’s winter, journeys across the ice, and efforts to return home.
The Siege and Conquest of the North Pole
Bryce surveys attempts to reach the North Pole and the changing methods used by northern explorers. The book traces expeditions, discoveries, routes, and the challenges posed by the polar environment.
Round About the North Pole
Gordon brings together accounts of expeditions around the North Pole and the lands bordering the Arctic Ocean. Routes, ships, winter quarters, and sledging journeys provide a broad view of northern exploration.
Arctic Exploration
Hoare surveys the history of Arctic exploration through voyages, expeditions, and the search for northern routes. The book follows the development of geographical knowledge and the experiences of explorers in the ice.
The Lands of Silence
Markham surveys exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic, bringing together the people, routes, and discoveries of successive expeditions. The account follows the expanding knowledge of both polar regions.
The Great White North
Wright traces the history of polar exploration from early voyages to the expeditions associated with the North Pole. The narrative brings together discoveries, search efforts, routes, and the experience of travel in the far north.
Voyages in Search of the North-West Passage
A survey of attempts to find a navigable route through the northern seas, bringing together voyages, obstacles, and discoveries along the North-West Passage.
Letters from High Latitudes Being Some Account of a Voyage in 1856 of the Schooner Yacht "Foam" to Iceland, Jan Meyen, and Spitzbergen
Dufferin describes his voyage aboard the Foam to Iceland, Jan Mayen, and Spitzbergen, with observations of northern landscapes, settlements, and travel.