Published on the 100th anniversary of

Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson?s

world-famous arctic journey

Originally published in 1912 as A Negro Explorer at the North Pole by the renowned African American explorer Matthew Henson, this compelling firsthand account describes the journey he undertook with Robert Peary three years earlier to reach the North Pole.

Some expedition members questioned Peary?s decision to take a black man on the final leg of the journey. Others defended it, citing Henson?s popularity with the Inuit, whose language and skills he?d mastered. Upon their return, Peary received wide recognition from the National Geographic Society and the U.S. government for his attainment of the Pole, but Henson was largely ignored, except in the Black community. In later years, Henson received much deserved acclaim for his twenty-three-year contribution to Peary?s expeditions. This definitive 100th anniversary edition will be enhanced with material from the Explorers Club?s archives, including reference to Henson?s correspondence with the Club and photographs of Henson ephemera. It also contains a list of Henson?s honors and a bibliography of celebratory accounts of his achievements.