A Ship Beneath the Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance by Mensun Bound is a compelling non-fiction account that connects one of history’s greatest survival stories with a modern-day deep-sea discovery. The book begins with the tale of Ernest Shackleton’s 1914–1917 Antarctic expedition, during which his ship, Endurance, was trapped and crushed by ice. Despite the ship’s loss, Shackleton and his crew survived an incredible ordeal, navigating ice and sea to safety.

Over a century later, marine archaeologist Mensun Bound leads two expeditions to find the wreck. The first, in 2019, ends in failure, but the second, in 2022, succeeds in locating Endurance beneath 3,000 meters of Antarctic ice, astonishingly well-preserved. Bound blends Shackleton’s original story with his own, drawing from historic diaries and modern expedition logs to explore the challenges of both eras.

Rich with photographs and vivid detail, the book is a tribute to human endurance, the drive to explore, and the power of discovery.