Item LIB 67905 Rare Book - Ernest Shackleton (ed.), 'Aurora Australis, 1908-09', Antarctica, 1908

Summary

The 'Aurora Australis' was produced by the members of Sir Ernest Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09, also known as the Nimrod Expedition. Printing firm Joseph Causton & Sons lent Shackleton's crew the printing press and a small etching press; they also donated the high quality paper, ink and type. Ernest Joyce and Frank Wild were given three weeks of instruction in printing and typesetting prior to the expedition, while George Marsten was trained in lithography and plate etching.

The work comprises a collection of prose and poetry written by the crew, and with a preface by Shackleton, who also edited the volume. The imprint states it was 'published at the winter quarters of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907, during the winter months of April, May, June, July, 1908' and 'printed at the Sign of The Penguins': by Joyce and Wild : lat. 77 degrees 32 south, long. 166 degrees 12 east. Antarctica'. It features a red printers device of two penguins.

The illustrations were created by George Marston and printed by Ernest Joyce and Frank Wild. The printers worked in extremely cramped and cold conditions, and often kept the ink from congealing by moving a lit candle under the plate. Due to the difficult conditions and inexperienced printers, copies vary slightly in contents.

The covers were made from venesta packing cases used to store supplies by motor mechanic Bernard Day. The contents of each case was stencilled on the outside, and these stencils are often used to identify different copies of 'Aurora Australis'. Museums Victoria's copy is known as the 'Chicken Copy'.

No more than 100 copies are thought to have been produced, and the majority of these were circulated privately following the expedition.

Physical Description

Book with wooden cover made of 3-ply and quarter-bound in brown calf. Spine has the title and printers' trademark, the two penguins, embossed. The volume comprises 118 pages and 10 leaves of lithographed and etched plates.

Significance

'Aurora Australis' was the first book to be printed in Antarctica. The crew produced the work during the harsh winter months in order to maintain morale.