Lambert sets out to re-cast the story and history of Sir John Franklin, but as a story about a scientist who happens to explore the world. More than that, Franklin's geographical explorations were the extension, not of a nationalistic fervour to discover the Northwest Passage, but to advance science and magnetic science in particular. Lambert is more interested in articulating that view than countering accepted views and so he fills in an important gap in our understanding of Sir John Franklin, namely what motivated him personally. Lambert offers ample supporting evidence to rightfully balance out a listing in the ship of history so we can see its full hull.

Lambert's text suffers from two smaller historiographical dilemmas. First, with the modern image of Franklin as a failed explorer, even a buffoon, pursuing an irrational national dream that suffered from a ridiculous sense of imperial bigotry, Lambert had quite the large sea to cross to convince us differently. This he accomplishes. At least for me with overwhelming and deep and convincing research on Franklin and magnetism. But he quite unsurprisingly is too often forced to defend this new impression of Franklin too strongly and to dismiss or ignore other aspects of the existing Franklin lore that might still be true. Just because, for example, science and magnetism played a much more significant role than historians normally credit, does not mean that nationalism and imperial bigotry did not play as or more significant a role. As with space exploration, science drove the detailed planning and objectives, but there would have been no human in space if not for national ambition and fervour and international politics.

Second, without some fairly deep background knowledge of Franklin and his many expeditions, it would be somewhat difficult to follow the depths of Lambert's arguments. He assumes a lot of the reader. That can be fine - nothing wrong with targeting a more learned reader - but in assuming so much, while trying to convince us much of the inherited view is wrong, it is sometimes hard to sail along with him and his arguments. Plus it leaves the sense that he has hastened over facts that are clash too much with his thesis. The endless detail of the scientific community and personalities, and how important science was to them is for me endlessly fascinating. If I had more knowledge of the history of the science, I'd be better able to weigh Lambert's views; but as it is, I know too much that doesn't seem to fit. Which is really unfortunate because I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it is a critical addition that fills a very significant hole in the historical literature, in regards to both the re-casting of Franklin and the importance of scientific discovery at least on a par with geographical discovery.

With these two Franklin biographies now written, and Franklin's image now less superficial and caricature, there is a real opportunity for some historian to write a complete history of the man, free from the confines of having to attack an existing image or defend a contrary view. The historiography is ready for it. Something along the lines of what McGoogan has done with Rae and Lady Franklin, filling in the huge gaps in their backstory, before the events with which we are all familiar, and bringing them back to us in three dimensions. The history for its own sake, freed from the chains of prior interpretation and personal agenda. Something along the lines of what William Battersby does in James Fitzjames: The Mystery Man of the Franklin Polar Expedition .

This reads more like a biography of Sir John Franklin, rather than the specifics of the tragedy of his last expedition. Excruciatingly detailed and Lambert seems to put Franklin on some scientific or naval pedestal every chance he can get, which is all well and good, but it also reads defensive of him. I know a lot of books have flawed Franklin for various reasons, this book tends to feel like a lashing out against them. It is meticulously plodding the detail and importance of the magnetic science of the day, even going as to say that this was one of the primary reasons for the fated journey (yet nearly contradicts his own declarations in the evidence), and I won't even begin to tell you how annoying it is to not have a worthy MAP of the final voyage. Romanticized paintings are nice in a book, sure, to evidence the cult of Franklin legend, but give the reader a good solid map of what you are talking about. The book is OK, well researched enough, and the "Politics of a Tragedy" section is fascinating, but with the defensive perspective and not really specific to what the title of the book indicates, it is a little misleading. The conclusion of the book really nails the Franklin fate on the head; using only the existing evidence and weeding out any speculation. For that part, the book is well done. ( )

Despite my interest in polar exploration, this book was a slog (I confess I skimmed a lot of it) and flawed in many ways, some general and some perhaps because I wasn't the kind of reader the author was writing for. In general, it is almost fatally flawed by the lack of maps showing the region Franklin and the other explorers were exploring (there is one tiny map tucked into a group of plates but neither it nor the other plates are ever referenced in the text). Second, the bulk of the book is not about Franklin and his quest, but about the ins and outs of British politics as it affected naval, scientific, and exploration policies in the 19th century, and about the efforts of Franklin's widow to find out what happened to him. Third, it is endlessly, endlessly detailed about the above -- more than I ever wanted to know. Perhaps a scholar of naval and scientific policies of the 19th century would enjoy this book, but not a general reader like me.