LIEUT. SHACKLETON'S BOOK.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 219, 21 October 1909, Page 4

LIEUT. SHACKLETON'S BOOK.

HIS ACCOUNT OF ITS CONTENTS. WRITING 15 HOURS A DAY. London, August 21. LMr. Shackleton, relieved by the Gov eminent grant of £-22,000 of'an irrxiety regarding the finance of his South Pole expedition, has buried himself at the charming vicarage at llintuu Charterhouse, between Frome and Path, the residence of his brother-in-law, the Re'". A. W. Dorman, to work eighteen hours a day completing his book. It will lie published on November I.lth simultaneously in England by Mr. lleineman, in America by Messrs. Lippincott, and in foreign countries in nine different languages. The price of the two volumes will be 3Us. Mr. -Shackleton as exercise in the midst of his literary work was yesterday Hying a large kite. He finds digging also useful to keep himself " in form." lie showed a press representative the proofs of the first volume, which will be sent to the Continent and America for preparation there. "1 bog.iu to write it," he said, "on my way back from New Zealand. Since reluming, I have done nios't of the work in the evcnkig and early mornings, rising at seven o'clock.

♦My days until lately Ihavc been spent at my Antarctic Expedition office. From nine to five I dictate to my secretary, Mr. Saunders, the son of the editor" of a leading New Zealand newspaper, who is himself a literary man, and he typewrites it for revision. The boon will contain 200,000 words. My southern journey (when he planted the (Jueen's ilag 111 miles from the South Pole) takes 35,000 words, and is practically an incorporation of my diary written up day by day. "Mr. Hcineninii i»' taking very partic ilnr pains with the publication. The volumes will contain 350 photographs, twelve colored plates, three large maps, diagrams showing the rises on to the ice plateau, panoramic photographs of Ilk' new mountains in the south, and li pretty complete series of illustrations of all that is of interest, including Mount Erebus hi eruption and the aurora auslralis'.

•'.Mr. Hugh liobert .Mill, author of .'The Singe of the South Pole,' Ims written the introduction, lending up from the earliest exploration to the.time I started, mid showing how the veil hils been rolled back gradually. Professor David has written the chapters un the Magnetic Pole journey, and the spccialisls in t'he party have written in popular form the scientilie appendices, so that the public may get a good idea of the seientilic work' done. The elaborate scientilie reports will not be completed for a year or more. The Commonwealth of Australia has' taken over the puli'icition of the meteorological observations.

■■ There is to be an edition de luxe limited to 300 copies, which will be signed by members of the party. The book will embody several articles reprinted from the magazine we published down south called ' Aurora Australis,' My arrangement with the publishers is liy way of royalty, and the whole of the proceeds arc to be devoted towards meeting the cost of the expedition.''