Roland Huntford, Historian Who Challenged Scott, Dies at 98
Roland Huntford, a journalist and historian known for his work on polar exploration, died on Jan. 23 in Cambridge, England. He was 98. The Fram Museum in Oslo announced his death but did not give a specific location or cause. He became widely known for his 1979 book "Scott and Amundsen," later retitled "The Last Place on Earth," which provoked an uproar in Britain by challenging the heroic image of Robert Falcon Scott.
Huntford argued that Scott had failed to prepare adequately, made critical errors—most notably using horses instead of dogs—and had persuaded his surviving teammates to remain with him rather than return. The book drew praise as gripping and thorough but also fierce opposition: Peter Scott sued for libel over an acknowledgments line, leading to a settlement and a disclaimer in later editions, and the Scott Polar Research Institute barred Huntford from accessing its archives.
He was born Roland Horowitz on Sept.
England, Cambridge