This is a wonderfully exciting account of the career of a scientist and explorer who, unfortunately for him, happened to be the wrong thing (Italian) at the wrong time. The author makes a good case for giving Umberto Nobile credit for being the first man to cross over the North Pole by air (in a balloon!), yet rather than being hailed in his country, he was practically court-marshalled. A reminder of the important role government plays in either fostering or undermining its citizens' genius.

This book has everything you'd want in a good read. The subject piques your interest, and the story itself, as well as the author's excellent writing style, compels you on. I would recommend it also as a book likely to help foster an interest in history and technology in young people. It's a story you'll never forget.

The Story of the airship Italia and her crash in the arctic in 1928 is an incredible tale that brings together many personalities from the surrounding nations. The author puts you inside the minds of the chief characters involved, while not forsaking a complex story of early aviation, with it's limitations. The redemption of Umberto Nobile, the captain of the airship, is dealt with, as well as the distortions that the political forces of Fascist Italy brought to bear against this martyr to airship exploration.

I see that most of the readers given this book 5 stars. I given it 4 stars as I think only a few books deserve the highest rating. However, let me say this is one of the best book I ever read about Arctic/Antarctic exploration. I found the book in a recess of the library here at South Pole Station, where I'm wintering over, so that you can understand my interest in the matter, but I'll buy it because I want to own it.

It is really a further shame that was an Englishman, and not an Italian - as I am - to wrote it. However, it is really a great way to restablish the historical truth about one of the most shameful, forgotten, episodes in the long history of my country, Italy. Thanks to the author, even though, admittedly, a bit on delay, for having written something so good about the great Umberto Nobile and his life.

By the way, the original title of the edition I read was "Ghost Ship of the Pole". I don't know if something has been changed in this new edition

Even though they flew over the pole, the airship actually north of the arctic circle, but near some Norwegian islands. This book however, is recommended as the definitive account of the Italia disaster, and also a personal history of General Nobile. It gives some insight to him standing up against Mussolini and his Facists (Nobile was basically apolitical; he just wanted to design and fly airships and be left alone), which caught up with him after the rescue. The book really picks up after the crash and when the rescuers start to pour onto and over the ice floes. This was the biggest search since the Frankin disaster, fortunately for the survivors, there was now modern equipment such as airplanes and icebreaking ships available. Author Wilbur Cross interviewed Nobile in Italy and many of the other survivors. Recommended for anyone interested in Arctic survival, a lot of it is reminiscent of "In the Land of the White Death", though for anyone wanting to know about the circumstances of Roald Amundsen's death should look elsewhere, as it's barely mentioned except to say that his plane was overdue, and some of the Norwegian people were hostile to Nobile after the rescue since the Italians did practically nothing to rescue their own people.
Chapters are as follows:
1. Prelude to Disaster--the Italia is losing altitude and nothing the crew does will make it rise again.
2. The Impossible Dream--History of Nobile's airship designs.
3. An Ambitious Undertaking--The story of Nobile and Roald Amundsen flying the Norge to the North Pole.
4. The Next Big Step--Building of the Italia and preparations for more Arctic expeditions.
5. Premonitions of Trouble--The flight from Milan to Spitzbergen across Europe.
6. Destination Zero--Flight from Spitzbergen to the North Pole.
7. The Downfall--The crash of the Italia.
8. Picking up the Pieces--the survivors rally and gather equipment to survive.
9. Frustration--SOS is sent and rescuers begin to head out--but where are the Italians?
10. Split Decision--Mariano, Zappi, and Malmgren leave the camp to try to reach land and help.
11. The Shortwave Dilemma--They are unsure if their shortwave messages are being picked up.
12. Against the Odds--Italian Army Captain Sora leaves out on skis to search; Amundsen and others search by air.
13. Manna From Heaven--The survivors are resupplied by airdrop.
14. A Decision in Doubt--Swedish Lt. Lundborg lands and rescues Nobile.
15. Prison without Bars--Nobile is held on the Italian ship Citta di Milano against his will by his own countrymen.
16. The Ice Torture--The death of Malmgren.
17. Fools Forsaken--the rescue of some of the would-be rescuers.
18. Breaking the Ice--the Soviet icebreaker Krassin comes to the rescue.
19.Liberation--the final rescue from the ice.
20. Reverse Rescue--More of the rescuers rescued.
21. Voices Muzzled--the Italians are censored by the Fascist government and Nobile's reputation and courage are questioned.
22.An Abundance of Enemies--Nobile is attacked by the Fascists, including Mussolini, in court and elsewhere.

The Airship Italia disaster of 1928 has unfortunately been nearly forgotten today, but in its time captivated the world. I've read a number of books on the incident and this one ranks with the best (I even have an aviation text from that same year that was published after the accident, but before the rescue. The readers were left hanging!). While attempting to fly to the North Pole under the command of Italian Gen Umberto Nobile, land on the ice, and return, the airship Italia crashes on the pack ice hundreds of miles from civilization. The survivors are hurled to the ice and can only watch as 6 other survivors float off to their doom on the derelict airship. Legendary Norwegian artic explorer Roald Amundsen, flies off in a seaplane to attempt a rescue, and is never heard from again. The castaways confront sudden cracks in the ice, broken bones, polar bear attacks, and almost staggering incompetence from their base ship back in harbor, which didn't even bother to monitor the radio most of the time. 3 of the party set off in a desperate bid to reach land and lead back a rescue party. The Norwegian Dr. Malmgren is soon too exhausted to continue, and after stoically help dig his own ice grave, bids the other two, Zappi and Mariano, on after giving them his food. The duo trudges on, clearly seeing land on the horizon, while the drift of the pack ice cancels out all their efforts. 43 days after they started, the last 12 without food, the snow blinded Zappi and Mariano sit down to await their fate. But the Russian Icebreaker Krassen miraculously rescues them just hours from death. 48 days after the crash, and against all odds, all the survivors are finally rescued. First published in 1960, this book has the advantage that the author had personal one-on-one interviews with nearly every survivor. Ironically, after coming so close to death, each survivor lived to comfortable old age, while the majority of their rescuers met early deaths, either by accident, or in the case of the Russians, in Stalin's purges. Instead of receiving a hero's welcome, Nobile was slandered by Mussolini's fascist government, who perceived him as a threat. He only received the credit due shortly before his death. This story is just begging for big screen, big budget treatment (it was the subject to a not-well-known, but good, Sean Connery movie, The Red Tent, though). Hopefully, they wont take the U571 route and change the principle characters from Italian, Czech, or Norwegian to Americans!