"Arctic historian Ken McGoogan approaches the legacy of nineteenth-century explorer Sir John Franklin from a contemporary perspective and offers a surprising new explanation of an enduring Northern mystery. Two of Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin's expeditions were monumental failures--the last one leading to more than a hundred deaths, including his own. Yet many still see the Royal Navy man as a heroic figure who sacrificed himself to discovering the Northwest Passage. This book, McGoogan's sixth about Arctic exploration, challenges that vision. It rejects old orthodoxies, incorporates the latest discoveries, and interweaves two main narratives. Drawing on his own research and Inuit oral accounts, McGoogan teases out many intriguing aspects of Franklin's expeditions, including the explorer's lethal hubris in ignoring the expert advice of the Dene leader Akaitcho. Franklin disappeared into the Arctic in 1845, yet people remain fascinated with his final doomed voyage: what happened? McGoogan will captivate readers with his first-hand account of traveling to relevant locations, visiting the graves of dead sailors, and experiencing the Arctic--one of the most dramatic and challenging landscapes on the planet"--
Prologue: The myth of the explorer -- Part one: Searching for Franklin. A vault on this island ; John Franklin goes missing ; Beechey Island graves ; A hint of catastrophe ; Lady Franklin responds ; The Victory Point record -- Part two: The Royal Navy man. Who was this John Franklin? ; Voyage to York Factory ; Upriver to Cumberland House ; Once a prisoner of war ; Second-in-command ; Journey to Fort Chipewyan ; The great mustering ; Akaitcho leads the way ; The indispensable St. Germain ; The Dene leader's question -- Part three: Haunting the land. The Gjoa Haven mystery box ; Hunters, interpreters, eyewitnesses ; The Peter Bayne complication ; What do we know for sure? ; The second-worst disaster -- Part four: The true believer. The resolute back ; The immovable Simpson ; Akaitcho's warning ; Crisis at Bloody Falls ; Franklin reaches the coast ; East of the Coppermine ; Obstruction Rapids ; St. Germain finds a way ; Shock at Fort Enterprise ; Cannibalism, murder, starvation -- Part five: Interweaving expeditions. Rescue from Enterprise ; The trouble with polar bears ; The man who could do no wrong ; Epilogue: On top of the world.
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