Edward Wilson (1872-1912) accompanied Robert Falcon Scott on
both his celebrated Antarctic voyages: the Discovery
Expedition of 1901-1904 and the Terra Nova Expedition of
1910-1913. Wilson served as Junior Surgeon and Zoologist on
Discovery and, on this expedition, with Scott and Ernest
Shackleton he set a new Furthest South on 30 December 1902.
He was Chief of Scientific Staff on the Terra Nova
Expedition and reached the South Pole with Scott, Lawrence
Oates, Henry Robertson Bowers and Edgar Evans on 18 January
1912, arriving there four weeks after the Norwegian explorer
Roald Amundsen. Wilson and his four companions died on the
return journey. Trained as a physician, Wilson was also a
skilled artist. His drawings and paintings lavishly
illustrated both expeditions. He was the last major
exploration artist; technological developments in the field
of photography were soon to make cameras practical as a way
of recording journeys into the unknown. This biography, the
first full account of the Antarctic hero, traces his life
from childhood to his tragic death.