(Scott's British National Antarctic Expedition, 1910-1913) — Wright, Sir Charles Seymour "Silas"Manuscript diary letters written during his voyage to Antarctica on the British National Antarctic expedition led by Capt R. Scott. [1910] Manuscript letters (205 x 120 mm) and fragments (111 x 120 mm), on 42 pages, text on rectos only, on lined, perforated notepaper removed from notebook, paginated (pp. 32-37, 40-70, 72-76), with occasional line-drawings and diagrams, with photocopies of two additional pages; the fragments being 24 leaves torn with loss of about half of each leaf, otherwise some closed marginal tears, occasional loss at corners, open tear with loss to text of leaves 50, 51, and 52, with the missing fragment of 52 loosely included. Letters in plastic sleeves, housed in a three-ring binder. A detailed record of the opening months of Scott's final expedition. Covering the voyage of the Terra Nova from shortly before its arrival at Melbourne, continuing south into the Antarctic Ocean, through pack-ice, and ending shortly before disembarkation at Cape Evans. He describes members of the expedition, activities on board ("... Albatross catching has also been rather fun, though our bag to date is one solitary one ...") including his foiled attempts to photograph whales and other more successful photographic experiments ("... Ponting got some lovely telephotos of a berg only 3/4 mile off ..."), and providing a vivid impression of the Antarctic Ocean ("... now as the spray falls on deck it at once freezes ...") and its severe storms ("... heavy seas breaking over loosening more cases & sending them scudding around between our legs. The water was almost continually over our knees & occasionally took us off our feet ..."), among other notes and reflections. Charles Seymour Wright (1887-1975), a young Canadian Cambridge graduate, was the expedition's glaciologist and physicist. He was described by Scott as "a charmingly simple straightforward young man with intelligence of a high order." He was part of Scott's initial Main Party, traveling with him as far as the Beardmore Glacier; later, as part of the relief expedition, Wright was the first to find Scott's tent on 11 November 1912. Although these pages take the form of a diary, they were in fact sent as letters to his father; Wright himself retained carbon copies, from which were later published in 1993. His papers are held by the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge. REFERENCE:Wright, C.S. Silas: The Antarctic Diaries and Memoirs of Charles S. Wright Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1993 PROVENANCE:Sotheby's London, 13 November 2008, lot 223Condition reportCondition as described in catalogue entry. The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The
(Scott's British National Antarctic Expedition, 1910-1913) — Wright, Sir Charles Seymour "Silas"Manuscript diary letters written during his voyage to Antarctica on the British National Antarctic expedition led by Capt R. Scott. [1910] Manuscript letters (205 x 120 mm) and fragments (111 x 120 mm), on 42 pages, text on rectos only, on lined, perforated notepaper removed from notebook, paginated (pp. 32-37, 40-70, 72-76), with occasional line-drawings and diagrams, with photocopies of two additional pages; the fragments being 24 leaves torn with loss of about half of each leaf, otherwise some closed marginal tears, occasional loss at corners, open tear with loss to text of leaves 50, 51, and 52, with the missing fragment of 52 loosely included. Letters in plastic sleeves, housed in a three-ring binder. A detailed record of the opening months of Scott's final expedition. Covering the voyage of the Terra Nova from shortly before its arrival at Melbourne, continuing south into the Antarctic Ocean, through pack-ice, and ending shortly before disembarkation at Cape Evans. He describes members of the expedition, activities on board ("... Albatross catching has also been rather fun, though our bag to date is one solitary one ...") including his foiled attempts to photograph whales and other more successful photographic experiments ("... Ponting got some lovely telephotos of a berg only 3/4 mile off ..."), and providing a vivid impression of the Antarctic Ocean ("... now as the spray falls on deck it at once freezes ...") and its severe storms ("... heavy seas breaking over loosening more cases & sending them scudding around between our legs. The water was almost continually over our knees & occasionally took us off our feet ..."), among other notes and reflections. Charles Seymour Wright (1887-1975), a young Canadian Cambridge graduate, was the expedition's glaciologist and physicist. He was described by Scott as "a charmingly simple straightforward young man with intelligence of a high order." He was part of Scott's initial Main Party, traveling with him as far as the Beardmore Glacier; later, as part of the relief expedition, Wright was the first to find Scott's tent on 11 November 1912. Although these pages take the form of a diary, they were in fact sent as letters to his father; Wright himself retained carbon copies, from which were later published in 1993. His papers are held by the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge. REFERENCE:Wright, C.S. Silas: The Antarctic Diaries and Memoirs of Charles S. Wright Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1993 PROVENANCE:Sotheby's London, 13 November 2008, lot 223Condition reportCondition as described in catalogue entry. The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
