'Mr Ponting has it in his power greatly to delight!' Lady Kathleen Scott

Herbert Ponting was the photographer on Captain Scott's Terra Nova expedition to the Antarctic in 1910 - 13. Based at the expedition hut at Cape Evans, Ponting spent the summers studying the continent's wildlife and landscape. He records close encounters with orcas and leopard seals on the ice at Cape Evans, expeditions to study Adelie penguins at Cape Royds and to track the movement of the nearby Barne Glacier, as well as the hazards of icebergs.

Ponting also reveals how the expedition passed the time during the long winter, describing the journey he took with Scott and the team who would attempt to reach the South Pole. Ponting's tale, originally intended to be used by Scott for lectures and fundraising on his return, ranks as a classic of travel and exploration literature.