Join The Explorers Club on Wednesday, June 21st to hear Darrell Hartman discuss his new book, Battle of Ink and Ice, about 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 (and early Explorers Club members) 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.
This ‘engrossing’ book (Kirkus Reviews) 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.
Streaming live here on explorers.org, our YouTube Channel, and our Facebook Live — Wednesday, June 21st at 7:00 pm ET.
RESERVATIONS
This will be an in-person lecture at Explorers Club Headquarters, and we are opening a number of tickets to guests.
In-person tickets are $15 for Members, and $30 for the General Public.
Check-in will begin at 6:00 pm, with a beer and wine reception from 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Darrell Hartman
Darrell Hartman MN’ 14 has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Paris Review, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and Granta. He holds a B.A. in literature from Yale University. A native Mainer, he now lives with his wife, Dana, in the Catskills region of New York.
