Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night (Paperback)

'... exquisitely researched and deeply engrossing' - The New York Times 

'Polar exploration was the space travel of its day. Julian Sancton reminds us why, while sending us on an extraordinary expedition, one that left its crew in the deadly grip of the Antarctic pack for more than a year. He sets us down directly amid the polychromatic ice; when a man goes overboard, so do we. Madhouse at the End of the Earth has it all: Idealism, ingenuity, ambition, explosives, flimflammery, a colourful cast, a blank map, a three-month-long night, penguins (and medicinal penguin meat). A riveting tale, splendidly told.' - Stacy Schiff

'Sancton has given us a riveting true-life horror story, the tale of an ambitious crew of sailors who chased glory but wound up trapped in an icy hellscape with slim chance of survival. Madhouse is that rare non-fiction gem -- an obscure but important history transformed by deep research and note-perfect storytelling into a classic thriller. Reading this book is as much an adventure as the very story it tells' - Walter Isaacson

'At once a riveting survival tale and terrifying psychological thriller, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is a mesmerizing, unputdownable read. Julian Sancton has crafted an epic of Antarctic exploration that deserves a place beside Alfred Lansing's immortal classic Endurance' - Nathaniel Philbrick

'Sancton's mix of reportage and novelistic reconstruction keeps the story rolling, even in the frozen doldrums of months-long polar night. The savage beauty of the antarctic landscape grips. The writing is exacting, compelling and compassionate. For all the farce, the facts and human cost of the expedition hit home and the shadows cast on the survivors are long and lasting' - The Literary Review