Bonhams 1793 : CHERRY-GARRARD (APSLEY) The Worst Journey in the World. Antarctic 1910-1913, 2 vol., Constable & Co., 1922

The Worst Journey in the World. Antarctic 1910-1913, 2 vol., FIRST EDITION, AUTHOR'S PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED TO KATHLEEN SCOTT "Inscribed to Mrs. Hilton Young. With very grateful thanks from Cherry" on the front free endpaper of volume one, half-titles, 48 plates (6 coloured, 10 folding panoramas), 5 maps (4 folding, one with small marginal tears), publisher's cloth-backed blue-grey boards, paper spine labels (with additional set tipped-in), lightly soiled with minor rubbing, preserved in purpose-made morocco-backed cloth box [Conrad, p. 173; Renard 304; Rosove 71.A1; Spence 277; Taurus 84; OCLC 943823], 8vo (229 x 151mm.) , Constable & Co., 1922

Sold for £18,750 inc. premium

Footnotes

AN IMPORTANT PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED TO KATHLEEN SCOTT, WITH HER NOTES IN THE MARGINS.

Scott's widow Kathleen had remarried to Edward Hilton Young in 1922, and the set was presented to her new married name. Kathleen was known to be fiercely protective of her former husband's reputation. This set contains Kathleen's marginal notes in pencil, commenting on passages that she perceived were inaccurate or were critical of her Scott. For example, on p.524, Cherry-Garrard wrote: "Evans, however, who was considered by Scott to be the strongest man of the party, had already collapsed, and it is admitted that the rest of the party was becoming far from strong. There seems to be an unknown factor here somewhere." Opposite this, in the margin, Kathleen has penciled "Rots!". On p.115, beside the text "Scott was against this plan" [concerning a suggestion by Oates about the ponies], Kathleen comments "But why not say why!".

Sara Wheeler discusses the pencil annotations made by Kathleen Scott in this copy, in her biography Cherry. A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard, 2001, p. 221., elaborating on the complex relationship between Cherry-Garrard and Kathleen Scott in the years after her husband's death.

Provenance: Kathleen Scott (from the author); by descent; Christies, 17 September, 1999, lot 243; Martin L. Greene (Seattle).

Category: Books / Books, Maps and Manuscripts

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