Book review: Erebus, by Michael Palin

Michael Palin - best known to most from Monty Python and his televised trips around the world, from pole to pole, etc. - was also president of the Royal Geographical Society. All of this experience comes into play in ‘Erebus,’ a very detailed and delightfully engaging history of the Royal Navy ship Erebus, whose mid-19th-century voyage of exploration to the Antarctic was one of the most successful of the century, followed closely by a tragically unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the Arctic.

Even though Palin dispenses with his Monty Python heritage with one memorable paragraph, his humor suffuses the book - his descriptions of the ships, their crews, their voyages and many letters home have a light but deft touch, giving the reader a clear-eyed but not maudlin of the  challenges and difficulties of years-long voyages in the age of sail.

The book starts with the construction and outfitting of Erebus and her sister ship Terror, both so-called ‘bomb ships,’ tough, small craft designed as floating artillery platforms. Palin’s painstaking research covers every phase of Erebus’ construction, fitting out and early career - a wealth of detail for those with interest. Once the mission to the Antarctic is set, he turns the same eye for detail and story to the selection of the crew, introducing us to several officers and seamen who remain important characters - along with the ship - throughout the book.

His story of the Antarctic voyage covers science, Victorian English manners, adventure, privations difficult but not fatal, the politics of the Royal Navy and the scientific establishment, and a seemingly endless list of animals discovered, captured, preserved and consumed. The result is a highly readable, fascinating and unique vignette.

Throughout the book, Palin makes modern-day visits to places where the ships traveled - the Falklands, the Antarctic Ocean and more. The descriptions of these locales offer a contemporary connection to the voyage.

The description of the second, ill-fated voyage to the Arctic, is much less detailed since all records went down with the ship. Nevertheless, Palin succeeds in bringing it to life. It is less compelling than the first part of the book but well worth the read.

Published by Greystone Books, available at your local independent bookstore - try Warwick's of La Jolla.