Alone: The Classic Polar Adventure is a fascinating story of survival amidst the harshest of conditions -- the story of famed explorer Richard Byrd's famous (or infamous) solitary sojourn at the bottom of the world -- ably, if somewhat reluctantly, told by Byrd himself.

It is not a tell of adventure so much as survival, as the peaceful and scientific adventure Byrd had anticipated all too quickly became a months-long fight to survive in the most inhospitable of places. Only a small shack with dangerously faulty ventilation stood between Byrd and the elements during the continually dark days of the winter of 1934. The temperature routinely hit 60 degrees below zero and rarely wandered upwards of 20 below, as Byrd -- laid low by carbon monoxide poisoning -- fought a daily battle to survive a situation that would have killed almost any other man.

Over the years, much has been made of Admiral Byrd's decision to singly man a small meteorological station far south of the main Antarctic base of Little America on the Ross Ice Shelf. Byrd first envisioned a three-man crew (he thought two men stuck together that long would end up killing each other during the long winter months without a third person present to break the monotony), but it seems pretty clear from this account that he yearned to do the job alone. Certainly, there is something to be said for the perfect peace and introspection he expected to find there, but it seems equally clear that Byrd, having already achieved great fame with past adventures at the North and South poles, sought the attention and acclaim that would come with this mission.

Whatever his reasons, however, it was unarguably a most daring and brave decision -- as if the living conditions were not difficult enough, he knew that no help would be forthcoming if something went wrong.

Byrd's daily tasks were to man the meteorological equipment, take measurements and make observations from his position. This was no small job given the damaging effects that the cold had on everything, but Byrd's biggest job was to stay alive. Unfortunately, his greatest ally in that struggle -- the stove -- became his greatest enemy. Several weeks into the mission, Byrd began suffering the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. Unable to solve the ventilation problems responsible for the danger, he had no choice but to run the stove as little as possible. Often close to death, even the best of days left him far too weak to accomplish more than the most essential of tasks. To his credit, he did the best he could to hide his condition from his men at Little America, knowing full well that any rescue attempt made on their part during those winter months would be incredibly dangerous.

This was not a book that Byrd was eager to write, for it meant revealing to the world the vulnerable and perhaps foolish side of a man who was already legendary for his daring exploits. To his credit, however, he seems to have held nothing back, especially in regard to the sufferings he endured on this mission. While Byrd's motives -- and even some of his accomplishments -- have come into question over the years, even as his fame has diminished, Alone: The Classic Polar Adventure reveals this man to be one of the last great adventurers of history, a man whose raw courage and unmatched strength is best revealed in the depths of his weakest moments.