Discovery

From the moment Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Jr. first left Antarctica, he knew he would return. Both the scope of the strange land and the uncharted scientific promise it held were too much to leave behind forever. Launched during the Great Depression amid great public skepticism, and with funding at its toughest to secure, this second Antarctic journey proved as daring, eventful, and inspiring as any Byrd ever embarked upon. Reissued for today's readers, Admiral Byrd's classic explorations by land, air, and sea transport us to the farthest reaches of the globe. As companions on Byrd's journeys, modern audiences experience the polar landscape through Byrd's own struggles, doubts, revelations, and triumphs and share the excitement of these timeless adventures.

Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr., (1888–1957) was a pioneering scientific explorer of the Antarctic continent and rear admiral in the United States Navy. He completed one of the first trans-Atlantic flights and flights to the North and South Poles. Byrd was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for heroism given by the United States.