Matthew A. Henson's Historic Arctic Journey, The Classic Account of One of the Worlds Greatest Black Explorers

Matthew A. Henson's Historic Arctic Journey, The Classic Account of One of the Worlds Greatest Black Explorers, by Matthew A. Henson

Published by Lyons Press in 2009, 232 pages. Small Hardback with Dust Jacket - c. 19cm by 13.5cm (N4889)

Brand New Book

From the front inside fly leaf: Originally published in 1912 as A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by the renowned African American explorer Matthew Henson, this compelling firsthand account describes the journey he undertook with Robert Peary three years earlier to reach the North Pole.

Some expedition members questioned Peary's decision to take a black man on the final leg of the journey. Others defended it, citing Henson's popularity with the Inuit, whose language and skills he'd mastered. Upon their return, Peary received wide recognition from the National Geographic Society and the U.S. government for his attainment of the Pole, but Henson was largely ignored, except in the Black community. In later years, Henson received much deserved acclaim for his twenty-three-year contribution to Peary's expeditions.

This definitive 100th anniversary edition will be enhanced with material from The Explorer Club's archives, including reference to Henson's correspondence with the club and photographs of Henson ephemera. It also contains a list of Henson's honors and a bibliography of celebratory accounts of his achievements.