Below the Convergence: Voyages Toward Antarctica, 1699-1839

From astronomer Edmond Halley's 1699 voyage in the Paramore to sealer John Balleny's 1839 excursion in the Eliza Scott, Below the Convergence tells the story of British, American, and Russian expeditions to Antarctica -- the fabled Terra Australis Incognita.In search of scientific knowledge, national prestige, and profit, these courageous explorers captured the hearts and attention of their countrymen who longed to hear what lay below the Convergence, the sea frontier marking the boundary between the freezing Antarctic waters and the warmer sub-Antartic seas. The stories of their herculean adventures and discoveries makes for riveting reading and offers an abundant history which, writes Dava Sobel in the New York Times Book Review, introduces the concept of deep cold with lyrical precision.