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Battle of Ink and Ice
A Sensational Story of News Barons, North Pole Explorers, and the Making of Modern Media
1 of 1 copy available
"Absolutely gripping… a perfectly splendid read—I highly, highly recommend it” — Douglas Preston, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Lost City of the Monkey God
A sixty-year saga of frostbite and fake news that follows the no-holds-barred battle between two legendary explorers to reach the North Pole, and the newspapers which stopped at nothing to get–and sell–the story.
In the fall of 1909, a pair of bitter contests captured the world’s attention. The American explorers Robert Peary and Frederick Cook both claimed to have discovered the North Pole, sparking a vicious feud that was unprecedented in international scientific and geographic circles. At the same time, the rivalry between two powerful New York City newspapers—the storied Herald and the ascendant Times—fanned the flames of the so-called polar controversy, as each paper financially and reputationally committed itself to an opposing explorer and fought desperately to defend him.
The Herald was owned and edited by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., an eccentric playboy whose nose for news was matched only by his appetite for debauchery and champagne. The Times was published by Adolph Ochs, son of Jewish immigrants, who’d improbably rescued the paper from extinction and turned it into an emerging powerhouse. The battle between Cook and Peary would have enormous consequences for both newspapers, and help to determine the future of corporate media.
BATTLE OF INK AND ICE presents a frank portrayal of Arctic explorers, brave men who both inspired and deceived the public. It also sketches a vivid portrait of the newspapers that funded, promoted, narrated, and often distorted their exploits. It recounts a sixty-year saga of frostbite and fake news, one that culminates with an unjustly overlooked chapter in the origin story of the modern New York Times.
By turns tragic and absurd, BATTLE OF INK AND ICE brims with contemporary relevance, touching as it does on themes of class, celebrity, the ever-quickening news cycle, and the benefits and pitfalls of an increasingly interconnected world. Above all, perhaps, its cast of characters testifies—colorfully and compellingly—to the ongoing role of personality and publicity in American cultural life as the Gilded Age gave way to the twentieth century—the American century.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 6, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593743232
- File size: 337664 KB
- Duration: 11:43:27
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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April 3, 2023
Polar controversy fuels the rise of the New York Times in this energetic debut from journalist Hartman. In September 1909, the New York Herald surprised the world by publishing an exclusive account of surgeon and explorer Frederick Cook’s unlikely discovery of the North Pole. Meanwhile, its archrival, the New York Times, had invested in a higher-profile expedition, led by veteran Arctic adventurer Robert Peary, which had set out a year later than Cook’s. Less than a week after Cook and the Herald claimed victory, Peary sent a telegram from Newfoundland asserting that he’d reached the North Pole. A vicious feud then unfolded, as Peary and the Times appealed to the National Geographic Society and other scientific institutions and publicly accused Cook of fraud. The controversy drove sales for both newspapers until it seemed to be resolved in December 1909 by a commission at the University of Copenhagen, which ruled that Cook had not proven he’d reached the North Pole; today it is widely believed that both men fell short of the mark. Hartman dramatically recounts the claims and counterclaims; draws colorful profiles of the explorers and their chief backers, the Herald’s James Bennett Jr. and the Times’s Albert Ochs; and incisively analyzes the populist vs. establishment aspect of the controversy. It’s as bracing as a blast of Arctic air. -
Mack Sanderson's voice provides a luxurious soundscape. This is not typical for a historical nonfiction audiobook, but listeners will find it enjoyable. Hartman's account of the turn-of-the-century proliferation of print media is a fascinating framing of the world's interest in "firsts," as explorers seek to reach the North Pole. The big media outlets of the day contend with either giving the public drama they want or sticking more closely to the facts. The limited information flow of the period exacerbates these choices; why wait for accurate information when people want to read updates now? Sanderson's rich, enveloping timbre and confident gravitas are undeniably engaging as he unwinds these dual narratives of media and exploration. S.P.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine -
June 10, 2024
Journalist Hartman debuts with an account of the 19th- and early 20th-century competition between the New York Herald and the New York Times, centering on two explorers who each claimed to have been the first to reach the North Pole. The New York Herald, established by business innovator James Gordon Bennett Sr., was running increasingly sensationalized content under the direction of James Jr., whose primary interests seemed to be yachting, drinking, and womanizing. Adolf Ochs, the child of Jewish immigrants, acquired the New York Times almost accidentally but strove to make it a source of truthful and balanced reporting. In 1909, the Herald broke the news that surgeon and independent explorer Frederick Cook had reached the North Pole. Days later, the Times countered, reporting that U.S. Navy officer and polar explorer Robert Peary was actually the first person to reach it. With a deep, resonant voice, narrator Mack Sanderson conveys Hartman's extensive research, placing the story of dueling newspapers and polar exploration in context. VERDICT Narrated with authority by Sanderson, this account of polar controversy and media wars entertains while raising questions about the nature of news and reporting in the modern age.--Joanna M. Burkhardt
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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