Scott's Antarctic explorers read Alice In Wonderland on board
The men on board the 1901-04 Discovery expedition were forced to endure freezing temperatures, 24-hour stretches of darkness and risked cabin fever after becoming stuck in the ice.
They were hailed for their “heroic” dedication to exploration, with the scientific research into the harsh and largely untouched continent launching Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton to prominence.
It now appears the inhospitable conditions were made a little easier by the ship’s library, which included two books by children’s author Lewis Carroll.
The 1889 story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and 1901’s Through the Looking Glass are now known to have nestled among the more serious scientific and navigational tomes on the mess deck....