Little America: Aerial Exploration in the Antarctic, The Flight to the South Pole.

BYRD, Richard E.

Item Number: 112466

New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1930.

First edition of Byrd’s account of his first expedition to the South Pole. Octavo, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, engraved frontispiece portrait of Byrd, with 74 illustrations and maps. From the library of James Stephen “Steve” Fossett with his bookplate to the front pastedown. American businessman and record-setting aviator Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in 2002 in his 10-story high balloon Spirit of Freedom. He completed the 2002 trip in 13 days, 8 hours, and 33 minutes and set records for both the Longest Distance Flown Solo in a Balloon and Fastest Balloon Flight Around the World. Fossett was also one of sailing’s most prolific distance record holders set the Absolute World Speed Record for airships with a Zeppelin NT in 2004. He received numerous awards and honors throughout his career including aviation’s highest award, the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which he was awarded in 2002. Fossett disappeared on September 3, 2007 while flying a light aircraft over the Great Basin Desert, between Nevada and California. In near fine condition. With exceptional provenance.

Admiral Byrd here chronicles his first expedition to the Antarctic which began aboard two ships and three airplanes in 1928 and returned to North America in 1930. The expedition's base camp, constructed on the Ross Ice Shelf was named "Little America", and it was from here that Byrd's scientific expeditions by snowshoe, dog-sled, snowmobile, and airplane began. On November 28, 1929, after the team's first winter in the Antarctic, the first flight to the South Pole and back was launched, and successfully completed, with a total flight time of 18 hours and 41 minutes.