November 2000

Tom Crean ran away from home as a youth and become one of the most indestructible heroes in Antarctic exploration. He played a central role in the dramatic events on three out of four British expeditions in the Heroic Age of Polar exploration. He served Scott and Shackleton - both bitter rivals - and outlived them both.

This book reveals how he volunteered for Polar exploration, was one of the last to see Scott alive before his ill-fated expedition reached the South Pole, and how he returned to bury him in the snow a month later. Tom Crean played a leading role in Shackleton's legendary 'Endurance' expedition, sailing the small open James Caird across the violent Southern Ocean, and in the historic crossing of South George's glaciers.

Tom Crean is the unsung and inspirational hero of Antarctic exploration. His astonishing life of adventure, heroism and survival against all the odds is told for the first time in this remarkable book. It is an extraordinary and unforgettable story.

The book is illustrated with photographs.