Today it is one hundred years since the demise of one of the tragic heroes of Norwegian polar history - Hjalmar Johansen.
This is his own description of the first Fram expedition, when he was Fridtjof Nansen's sole companion on their dash for the North Pole, and their winter sojourn on Franz Josef's Land. Written in a more immediate, laconic style than Nansen's own book, it is in many ways a more enjoyable read than that of his boss.