To be honest, I only picked this book up because the Canadian Armed Forces insists on quoting it every time they give the yearly briefing on Ethics, Values, and Leadership. I expected it to be dry and factual, but I was delighted to find that Ernest Shackleton is actually very funny. While there were some passages that were dry scientific observations of position and weather and drift, the book mainly focused on the human relationships on the journey, and brought a warmth and humour to the Antarctic that made it a thoroughly enjoyable read.