Amedeo's expedition on the Polar Star aimed to sail as far North as possible along the coast-line, and then travel on sledges towards the Pole from the place where the winter had been passed. The Pole was not reached, but the sledging expedition, led by Commander Cagni, pushed on to a latitude which no man had previously attained and proved that with the right men and dogs the frozen Arctic Ocean can actually be crossed to the highest latitude.

First edition in English; 2 vols, 4to (25.5 x 20.5 cm); 2 panoramas, 5 maps, 16 photogravure plates, 212 illustrations in text, armorial bookplates to pastedowns, touch of waterstaining to final couple of leaves of vol I, endpapers toned; publisher's green cloth, gilt pictorial motif to upper boards, gilt lettering to spines, a little rubbing to extremities, fiant waterstaing to lower boards and top edges of boards, a very good set; xvi, 346, xvii-xxii; viii, 347-702, ix-xiipp.