Mission Seeks to Find the Lost Discoverer of the South Pole
- by Michael Stillman
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
With the discovery by the search party, the final chapter was complete on Scott's life. His last letters home were retrieved, and a marker was placed to note his final resting place. However, no such final chapter was ever written, nor any marker erected, for Amundsen. He returned safely, and lived until 1928, sixteen years after Scott died. Now, over 80 years later, a new expedition is about to be launched to write the final chapter on Amundsen's life.
After his return, Amundsen led an expedition through the Northeast Passage, and then began exploring by air. In 1926, he became either the second or first (depending on whether you believe the claims of Admiral Richard Byrd) to fly over the North Pole. Then, in 1928, an exploration by air headed by Umberto Nobile, an Italian aircraft designer who accompanied Amundsen on his flight over the North Pole, went down on sea ice. An international rescue effort was launched, and Amundsen was one of those who took to the skies. Ironically, Nobile and his men were found, but the great Norwegian explorer was lost. His plane went down over the sea, and unlike Nobile and Scott, he was never found. A pontoon from his seaplane was located, but the resting place of Amundsen and his plane remains a mystery.
Recently, the Royal Norwegian Navy announced that the search for Amundsen will resume this summer. The navy, along with some specialty partners, will be using the latest sonar equipment and submarine technology to locate the missing plane. Amundsen is believed to have gone down in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Norway's Spitsbergen Island. The Navy has a particular area in mind where it believes the plane is most likely to be located. They have no expectation of finding any remains of Amundsen. As Scott was consigned to the ice, Amundsen is forever consigned to the sea.
Among the books Amundsen wrote are The South Pole. An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the "Fram," 1910 - 1912 (published in 1912), and The North West Passage being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Gjoa" 1903-1907... published in 1908. The Arctic and Antarctic regions have become quite popular fields for collecting, with booksellers such as Aquila Books and Bjarne Tokerud specializing in the area. Amundsen's works are important elements of such a collection.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
