True North: Peary, Cook, and the Race to the Pole

The attempts to be the first to reach the two Poles are riveting stories. The South Pole race is the more well-known of the two with the great publicity that sparked feelings of pride between the competing nations, the different styles of exploration involved, and the ultimate tragedies. The race to the North Pole is also an exciting story with much intrigue and, as became apparent in reading "True North" by Bruce Henderson, has a definite good guy versus bad guy element in addition to the controversy as to who actually won the race. It begins with an excellent prologue ending with a line that really draws the reader into the story.This reviewer had recently read "Fatal Passage" by Kevin McGoogan before beginning to read "True North," and soon saw parallels between the protagonists in both stories: John Rae in the former and Frederick Cook in the latter. Both started their careers as doctors and both became highly competent and successful explorers, in part, by learning from and adopting methods of the natives of the North. Rae was an inspiration on South Pole race winner Raoul Amundsen and Cook was a mentor and good friend of Amundsen and worked with him in the Antarctic where they showed a knack for innovation in lighter and more efficient exploration equipment. Cook would use such innovation in becoming the first to scale Mount. McKinley. Rae and Cook both had their most heralded achievements challenged by rival factions who damaged their reputations and took their glory. Rae's main antagonist was Lady Jane Franklin, Cook's was Robert Peary, his only competition to the North Pole.Peary comes off in "True North" very badly. Henderson paints him as an arrogant, domineering man so hungry for glory he was more than willing to resort to lies and deception to exaggerate his achievements and smear those of his chief rival, the humble Cook. Many of Peary's discoveries or milestones were questioned by members of his own party (i.e. Perry Land and Perry Channel in Greenland, pg. 75) and were later discredited. Peary, however, had friends in high places and did not seem to have to defend his claims as vigorously as Cook. Peary also used his political clout to relentlessly attack Cook, including his reports on Mount McKinley.As in "Fatal Passage," Henderson is very bias in his championing of Cook and vilification of Peary. Upon finishing the book, most readers will probably see Cook as a victim who never received his due and Peary as the bully who hogged acclamation he did not earn. The worse cases against Peary are the incidences detailed where Peary endangered the health of others to achieve his individual greatness and sabotage the work of Cook. Was Peary really a heartless villain and Cook a pristine hero? Such things are usually somewhere in between. Not having read other books on the subject, this reviewer does not know if Henderson's stance is the norm among historians or is an unfair, one-sided account. Still, "True North" makes for a solid case and is a well-written examination of one of the most exciting events in the age of exploration.

A good read. A detailed, well researched account that re-writes history as far as the "who" in the discovery of or attainment of the North Pole. The lead and most well-known characters, Peary, Cook, and Henson clearly could not prove their claims to reach one of the coldest places on earth, but the efforts they undertook were lessons in human endurance and singular commitment to what amounted to a lifelong compulsion costing thousands of dollars(millions of dollars today) that came up short. The significant part of this account is the business relationship between Cook and Peary that turned into a competition that ended in a lie to the nation and the world that neither could disprove. Although mentioned in several places in this account with some personal background, the undereducated Matthew Henson, had he possessed the technical skill, could have proved that the march to the North Pole had been attained. But because of the times in which this all occurred, who would have believed him? This book is well worth reading in tandem with Hampton Sides' "In the Kingdom of Ice" and the teleflick "The Terror."

An interesting narrative about the race to find the north pole and a very good study in polar exploration. The book is essentially a biography of Frederick Cook and Robert Peary and details their intersecting goals of polar exploration. The controversy over who actually was first to the north pole still exists today and is essentially a ho hum for most of us today; who cares its cold, snowy, icy and barren. But in their era, polar exploration was highly publicized and polar explorers were lionized. The ultimate prize, first to the pole, was the holy grail of exploration and the competition was fierce. In this book Peary was portrayed as the villain and Cook the hero. The narrative is interesting and educational and the reader is inevitably convinced that Cook was the true discoverer of the north pole. Read it and decide for yourself.

Henderson does a good job of the Cook/Peary contrast. He is more balanced regarding Cook than most other writers. I appreciate that balance. Before one dismisses Cook, as they would reading other authors, they should read Henderson.

What a read! If half of what Henderson reveals about Peary is true then the man is a true villain who robbed Cook of his opportunity to achieve the fame he should have had. It’s hard to believe that Peary went to such lengths and that Cook was so gullible in trusting his one-time companion in the quest to reach the North Pole. Peary and Cook made journeys together and apart to the Pole, but History credits only Peary with reaching the goal and leave Cook out in the cold due to Peary’s duplicity and outright dishonesty….at least according to Henderson. It’s a great read and one you won’t put down even if you knew the outcome before you started. WOW!!!

Although this book slants the controversy over who made it to the pole first, it leaves no doubt by the end. No spoilers but the Nasty politics and dirty maneuvering on the side of one of the players is all to typical even in this age. The book is well documented with almost 1/4 of it citing sources. I had my doubts before but now I know who made it to the pole.

Excellent read as it kept my attention throughout each chapter. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the actual exploration which led to the discover of the North Pole.

If you are a lover of Arctic adventure and history this is a must read!Bruce Henderson does a great job comparing the two men who claimed to be first to the North Pole. Was it Peary? Was it Cook? This is so well written and interesting you'll find it hard to put down. I have always had my opinion as to who can rightfully claim the title of "First", but after this book, I changed my mind. You may do the same. Each explorers journey is detailed along with a close look at thier personality and inter-action with others. I guarantee you will love this book!

This is a very interesting book about whether Frederick Cook or Robert Peary was the first to reach the North Pole. Though it is now generally agreed that neither of them did, the dispute raged in America.The careers of both men are described. But neither could produce convincing proofs. Cook claimed to have reached the Pole a year before Peary. This enraged Peary who began a campaign of character assassination against Cook which many believed.Peary was declared the winner and Cook a cheat. For Cook, great career in polar exploration was at an end, while Peary became a national hero.Cook embraced a different career, namely oil exploration in Texas where there was a free-for-all boom in the search for oil. Here Peary’s slanders caught up with him and he was accused of promoting fraudulent schemes. He was given a lengthy prison sentence because of his reputation as a cheat.One person who visited him was the now famous Roald Amundsen who had learned his skills as a young man in the Antarctic from Cook.The author is convincing in his defence of Cook.

As a 14 year old who mainly reads fiction, I was hooked to this book from about 50 pages in. I hugely recommend reading it, especially since it has been simplified to a book resembling a novel rather than seeming like a textbook.

Great book. I read a lot of books about polar exploration. and found this book to be interesting account of the Peary/Cook controversy.

Possibly the best book on the theme

very good book