Book read by Scott’s men over 60 nights while hiding in an Antarctic ice cave forms part of new Charles Dickens exhibition
A copy of David Copperfield that Captain Scott’s men read aloud every night while they were trapped in an Antarctic ice cave forms part of a new exhibition revealing the international side of the quintessentially English author Charles Dickens.
Stained with black fingerprints from the seal blubber lamps that were used to light the ice cave, the 1910 edition of the Dickens novel still bears a faint whiff of smoke and fish. It was one of three books that a group of Scott’s men used for entertainment while they were stranded in the ice cave for seven months; they read aloud a chapter a night for 60 nights to keep up morale. Geologist Raymond E Priestley, who was part of the group, wrote of how “we were very sorry to part with” David when the story came to an end.
They looked forward to reading it every night. A doctor prescribed them two chapters a night when they were feeling particularly sad
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