The White Darkness - One man's perilous quest to cross Antarctica in the footsteps of Shackleton - David Grann

Oct 13, 2026

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Henry Worsley, a devoted husband and British Army officer, becomes consumed by a single idea: to measure his endurance against Ernest Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic expeditions. After years of studying Shackleton’s life, Worsley sets out in 2008, then returns in 2015, driven by an unshakable bond to those journeys. Battling brutal cold, exhaustion, and hidden crevasses, his solitary walk becomes a high-stakes test of will, leadership, and survival.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages166

Reading Time4 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Henry Worsley’s obsession

Shackleton’s legacy and leadership

The 2008 expedition

The 2015 decision and solo crossing

T he W H IT E D A R KN E S S One man's perilous quest to cross Antarcticain the footsteps of Shackleton D AV I D G R A N N enry Worsley,devoted husbandand father and decorated BritishArmy officer,was a man obsessed.He had spent ycars studying the life ofErnest Shackleton,the 19th-century polarexplorer who strove to become the firstperson to reach the South Pole and later tocross Antarctica on foot.Shackleton nevercompleted his journeys,but he repeatedlyrescued his men from certain death andemerged as one of the greatest leadersin history. Worsley felt an overpowering connectionto those expeditions.He was related to oneof Shackleton's men and had modelled hismilitary command on Shackleton's legendaryskills.And he was determincd to measure hisown powers of endurance against them in themost brutal landscape in the world. In 2008,Worsley set out across Antircticawith two other descendants of Shackleton'screw,battling the relentless cold,life-threatening physical exhaustion and treacherous hidden crevasses.Yet,when hercturned homc,he felt compelled to go backIn 2015,Worsley bid farevell to his familyand cmbarked on his most perilous quest:to walk across Antarctica alone. $12.99 | T H | | E | W | H | | T | E | D | A | R | K | N | 上 | S | S | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | A LSO BY DAVID GRANN # The Lost City ofZ The Devil and Sherlock HolmesKillers of the Flower MoonThe Old Man and the Gun DAVID GRANN # T H E W HI T E D A R K N E S S SIMON&SCHUSTER London·New York·Sydney·Toronto·New Delhi A CBS COMPANY First published in the United States by Doubleday,a division ofPenguin Random House LLC,2018 First published in Great Britain by Simon &Schuster UK Ltd,2018A CBS COMPANY Copyright ◎David Grann,Inc.,2018 The right of David Grann to be identified as the author of this workhas been asserted in accordance with the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act,1988. This work originally appeared in The Nezu Yorker on 12 and 19 February 2018. 13579108642 Simon &Schuster UK Ltd1st Floor222 Gray's Inn RoadLondon WC1X8HB www.simonandschuster.co.ukwww.simonandschuster.com.auwww.simonandschuster.co.in Simon &Schuster Australia,SydneySimon &Schuster India,New Delhi The author and publishers have made all reasonable efforts to contactcopyright-holders for permission,and apologise for any omissions or errors inthe form of credits given.Corrections may be made to future printings. A CIP catalogue record for this bookis available from the British Library Hardback ISBN:978-1-4711-7802-3 eBook ISBN:978-1-4711-7803-0 Book design by Pei Loi KoayPrinted and bound by CPI Group(UK)Ltd,Croydon,CR04YY Simon &Schuster UK Ltd are committed to sourcing paper that is madefrom wood grown in sustainable forests and support the Forest Stewardship Council,the leading international forest certification organisation.Our booksdisplaying the FSC logo are printed on FSC certifed paper. For Joanna,Max,and Alicia

FAQs

Who is Henry Worsley in the story?

Henry Worsley is a decorated British Army officer, a husband and father, obsessed with Shackleton’s Antarctic expeditions and the challenge they represent.

What drives Worsley to cross Antarctica?

He feels a powerful connection to Shackleton’s journeys and wants to test his own endurance against the legendary leader’s skills in the harshest landscape.

What challenges does Worsley face on his expeditions?

He battles relentless cold, life-threatening physical exhaustion, and treacherous hidden crevasses, and later returns to complete his most perilous quest.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Aran