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Auction: 11029 - Summer Collector's Series sale
Lot: 221

Antarctica 1901-04 British National Antarctic Expedition Series of four autographed letters signed "Ernest H. Shackleton" or "Ernest" to Cyril Longhurst, from London and Dunedin (New Zealand), 17 July-23 December 1901, together 11 pages, one letter on paper with printed heading of ´National Antarctic Expedition´, another with vignette heading of ´Discovery Antarctic Expedition´. Three letters concern the last-minute preparations for the departure of the Discovery, the earliest concerning stores (for which Shackleton was responsible), ´Of course I do not want anything out of the Balloon box, or the Explosives, mostly provisions and general stores: if you send the various boxes down I will have them locked up and returned directly´; a second brief note thanks Longhurst for a gift of cuff links, and commiserates on a cancelled cricket tour. From New Zealand Shackleton writes on the verge of departure for the south, ´We ... will soon be shut off from all we know excepting our little crowd on the ship´, and gives an optimistic appraisal of the relations on board, ´We get on very well together: Royds has tamed down wonderfully and is rather nice. He is better at sea. In port he fancies the weight of the whole expedition rests on his shoulders´; he ends with instructions not to forward any letters to Shackleton´s family but to send them to Lyttelton to await the expedition´s return. (4). Photo Estimate £ 3,000-4,000

Sold for
£3,000