In August 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. The object of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic overland. In October 1915, still half a continent away from their intended base, the ship was first trapped, and then crushed, in ice. For five months, Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world.
In this digitised age of shared information it is easy to take for granted the power of the printed word. Here Melvyn Bragg presents a vivid reminder of the book as agent of social, political and personal revolution. In the fascinating book accompanying the ITV series, Melvyn Bragg takes a look at the most important British books in history, and their long-lasting effects which can still be felt throughout the world today. Far from being a study of dry texts...