The Last Explorer: Hubert Wilkins, Hero of the Golden Age of Polar Exploration

"Nasht's thoroughly captivating account of the exploits of Hubert Wilkins makes for an exhilarating, edge-of-your-chair read" (John Berendt, #1 New York Times –bestselling author). In the tradition of The Ice Master and Endurance , here is the incredible story of the first truly modern explorer, whose death-defying adventures and uncommon modesty make this book itself an extraordinary discovery. Hubert Wilkins was the most successful explorer in history—no one saw with his own eyes more undiscovered land and sea. Largely self-taught, Wilkins became a celebrated newsreel cameraman in the early 1900s, as well as a reporter, pilot, spy, war hero, scientist, and adventurer, capturing in his lens war and famine, cheating death repeatedly, meeting world leaders like Lenin and Stalin, and circling the globe on a zeppelin. Apprenticing with the greats of polar exploration, including Shackleton in the Antarctic, Wilkins recognized the importance of new technologies such as the airplane and submarine. He helped map the Canadian Arctic and plumbed the ocean depths from the icecap. A pioneer in the truest sense of the word, he became the first man to fly across the North Pole, which won him a knighthood; the first to fly to the Antarctic and discover land there by airplane; and the first to take a submarine under the Arctic ice. Grasping the link between the poles and changing global weather, Wilkins was a visionary in weather forecasting and the study of global warming. A true hero of the earth, he changed the way we look at our world. "Anyone interested in the history of polar exploration will want to read this book." — Booklist "If greatness is measured in square miles, Hubert Wilkins was without question the most successful explorer in history, for no one has seen with his own eyes more undiscovered land and sea. Largely self-taught, this farm boy from the Australian outback became a celebrated newsreel cameraman, reporter, pilot, spy, war hero, scientist, and adventurer. Repeatedly cheating death, he captured in his lens war, famine, and derring-do, met world leaders like Lenin, Mussolini, and King George V of England, and circled the globe on a zeppelin. Early on, Wilkins recognized the importance of new technologies such as the airplane, submarine, and motion picture camera in exploring uncharted worlds. He helped map the Canadian Arctic and plumbed the ocean depths from the ice cap. He became the first person to fly across the Arctic from America to Europe, a feat the New York Times called "the greatest flight in history," which earned him a knighthood, a ticker-tape parade in New York City, and many other honors. He was also the first to fly in the Antarctic and to discover land by airplane, and the first to take a submarine under the Arctic ice. He disproved the ancient myth of a hidden continent in the north. A visionary who, almost a century ago, grasped the link between the poles and changing global weather, Wilkins was a pioneer in weather forecasting and the study of global warming." "But the most amazing aspect of this life of unrelenting adventure is how decent and humble Wilkins was as a man. Unswayed by glory, he eschewed publicity and shied from public acclaim. Simon Nasht's discovery of Wilkins' treasure trove of journals, records, and photographs has enabled him to bring to the world's attention this remarkable explorer's many extraordinary achievements."--BOOK JACKET **"Nasht's thoroughly captivating account of the exploits of Hubert Wilkins makes for an exhilarating, edge-of-your-chair read" (John Berendt, #1 __New York Times__–bestselling author).** In the tradition of and , here is the incredible story of the first truly modern explorer, whose death-defying adventures and uncommon modesty make this book itself an extraordinary discovery. Hubert Wilkins was the most successful explorer in history—no one saw with his own eyes more undiscovered land and sea. Largely self-taught, Wilkins became a celebrated newsreel cameraman in the early 1900s, as well as a reporter, pilot, spy, war hero, scientist, and adventurer, capturing in his lens war and famine, cheating death repeatedly, meeting world leaders like Lenin and Stalin, and circling the globe on a zeppelin. Apprenticing with the greats of polar exploration, including Shackleton in the Antarctic, Wilkins recognized the importance of new technologies such as the airplane and submarine. He helped map the Canadian Arctic and plumbed the ocean depths from the icecap. A pioneer in the truest sense of the word, he became the first man to fly across the North Pole, which won him a knighthood; the first to fly to the Antarctic and discover land there by airplane; and the first to take a submarine under the Arctic ice. Grasping the link between the poles and changing global weather, Wilkins was a visionary in weather forecasting and the study of global warming. A true hero of the earth, he changed the way we look at our world. "Anyone interested in the history of polar exploration will want to read this book." —

'Simon Nasht’s thoroughly captivating account of the exploits of Hubert Wilkins makes for an exhilarating edge-of-your-seat read.'
-John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

In the tradition of The Ice Master and Endurance, here is the incredible story of the first truly modern explorer, whose death-defying adventures and uncommon modesty make this book itself an extraordinary discovery. Hubert Wilkins was the most successful explorer in history-no one saw with his own eyes more undiscovered land and sea. Largely self-taught, Wilkins became a celebrated newsreel cameraman in the early 1900s, as well as a reporter, pilot,
spy, war hero, scientist, and adventurer, capturing in his lens war and famine, cheating death repeatedly, meeting world leaders like Lenin and Stalin, and circling the globe on a zeppelin.

Apprenticing with the greats of polar exploration, including Shackleton in the Antarctic, Wilkins recognized the importance of new technologies such as the airplane and submarine. He helped map the Canadian Arctic and plumbed the ocean depths from the icecap.
A pioneer in the truest sense of the word, he became the first man to fly across the North Pole, which won him a knighthood;
the first to fly to the Antarctic and discover land there by airplane;
and the first to take a submarine under the Arctic ice. Grasping the link between the poles and changing global weather, Wilkins was a visionary in weather forecasting and the study of global warming.
A true hero of the earth, he changed the way we look at our world.

Hubert Wilkins was truly the last - and one of the greatest - explorers. And much more than that. Born in South Australia, he spent much of his life outside the country - but always remained an Australian. He travelled through every continent and was a pioneer of aviation. He survived crashes and disasters, firing squads and sabotage, living long enough to be honoured by kings, presidents and dictators. He was a frontline photographer in World War I - and was twice decorated. He took the first ever film of battle and took the first moving images from an aircraft. He was the first man to fly across the Arctic Ocean, the first to fly in the Antarctic - and the first to fly from America to Europe across the then unknown Arctic (the New York Times called this 'the greatest flight in history'). In the 1930s he spent several years travelling in western Queensland and the Northern Territory - where many of his observations and views were ahead of their time. In the later years of his life he did work for the US military and intelligence - and in 1958 was buried at sea at the North Pole by the US Navy. This riveting biography recounts the life of the world's first truly modern explorer, a life of unrelenting adventure and the high drama of polar exploration. Hubert Wilkins was the most successful explorer in history: no one saw with his own eyes more undiscovered land and sea. Largely self-taught, he was a celebrated reporter, pilot, spy, war hero, scientist, and adventurer. He captured in his lens war and famine, cheated death repeatedly, met world leaders like Lenin, Mussolini, and King George V, and circled the globe on a zeppelin. Knighted for being the first person to fly across the North Pole, Wilkins was also the first to fly in the Antarctic, discover land by airplane, and take a submarine under the Arctic ice