Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary originally hired Matthew Henson to be his valet, but Henson's intelligence and ability distinguished him and he became an invaluable addition to Peary's expeditions to the North Pole. Unlike Peary, Henson learned the Inuit language and trained himself to be an expert dog-sled driver. On the 1909 expedition when Peary claimed to have reached the Pole, it was Henson who drove the sled in which Peary, crippled and frostbitten, was a passenger. In this book, Henson tells of his years as a sailor and his subsequent meeting of Peary, which led to decades of dangerous journeys to the Arctic Sea and the shifting ice of the Pole. A close friend of many Inuit, Henson carefully records their culture and methods of survival, and gives accounts of the times that they saved his life.

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

Henson, Matthew

Travel

Cooper Square Press

Dark Companion is the only biography written with Matthew Henson, the legendary Arctic explorer who reached the North Pole with Peary in 1909. The author's son has republished it as a tribute to Henson - of whom his father said was "A great man" and his mother added - "...and a Great Spirit".

Dark Companion: The Story of Matthew Henson

Biographies & Memoirs

Robinson, Bradley

Community & Culture

Widget Magic

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole By Matthew Henson Henson was born on a farm in Nanjemoy, Maryland on August 8, 1866. He was still a child when his parents Lemuel and Caroline died. He was sent to live with his uncle, who paid for his education until he died. After his uncle's death, Henson got a job as a dishwasher at "Janey's Home-Cooked Meals Cafe". At the age of twelve he went to sea as a cabin boy on a merchant ship called Katie Hines. The captain, Captain Childs, took him under his wing and thought of him as his son. Childs and Henson were close for a long time. Henson sailed around the world for the next several years. He visited places such as China, Japan, the Philippines, France, Africa, and southern Russia, educating himself and becoming a skilled navigator. Henson met Commander Robert E. Peary in November 1887 and joined him on an expedition to Nicaragua, with 4 other people that Peary chose. Impressed with Henson’s seamanship, Peary recruited him as a colleague. For years they made many trips together, including Arctic voyages in which Henson traded with the Inuit and mastered their language, built sleds, and trained dog teams. In 1909, Peary mounted his eighth attempt to reach the North Pole, selecting Henson to be one of the team of six who would make the final run to the Pole. Before the goal was reached, Peary could no longer continue on foot and rode in a dog sled. Various accounts say he was ill, exhausted, or had frozen toes. In any case, he sent Henson on ahead as a scout. In a newspaper interview Henson said: “I was in the lead that had overshot the mark a couple of miles. We went back then and I could see that my footprints were the first at the spot.” Henson then proceeded to plant the American flag. Although Admiral Peary received many honors, Henson was largely ignored and spent most of the next thirty years working as a clerk in a federal customs house in New York. But in 1944 Congress awarded him a duplicate of the silver medal given to Peary.[3] Presidents Truman and Eisenhower both honored him before he died in 1955. In 1912 Matthew Henson wrote the book A Negro Explorer at the North Pole about his arctic exploration. Later, in 1947 he collaborated with Bradley Robinson on his biography Dark Companion. Henson died in the Bronx on March 9, 1955, at the age of 88, and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery; after her death in 1968, his wife Lucy was buried with him. In 1988, the Hensons' remains were both exhumed and reburied at Arlington National Cemetery, near the grave of Admiral Peary and his wife.[1] In 1961 an honorary plaque was installed to mark his Maryland birthplace. (Wikipedia.org)

History

World

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole (1912) is a memoir by Matthew Henson. Published a few years following an expedition to the planet’s northernmost point―which he claims to have reached first―A Negro Explorer at the North Pole reflects on Henson’s outsized role in ensuring the success of their mission. Although he was frequently overshadowed by Commander Robert Peary, Henson continues to be recognized as a pioneering African American who rose from poverty to become a true national hero. Seven times had Robert Peary and Matthew Henson attempted to reach the fabled North Pole. Seven times they failed. In 1908, following years of frustration, they gather a crew of Inuit guides and set sail from Greenland, hopeful that the eighth voyage will end in discovery. Throughout his life, Matthew Henson has grown accustomed to proving himself. Born the son of sharecroppers in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, he has endured racism and economic disparity his entire life. Since 1891, Henson and Peary―who he met while working at a Washington D.C. department store―have been attempting to reach the most remote location on planet earth, an icebound region devoid of sustenance and shelter, accessible only by boat, sled, and foot. As they near the North Pole, Henson prepares to make history. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Matthew Henson’s A Negro Explorer at the North Pole is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.\nFrom the Back Cover\nAfter years of failure, Commander Robert Peary gathers a crew of his best men to mount an eighth attempt at reaching the North Pole. Wary of another lost chance, he makes sure to bring Henson, who has proved himself as a translator and master craftsman. A Negro Explorer at the North Pole is a memoir by Matthew Henson.

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole (Black Narratives)

Mint Editions

Originally Published as "A Negro Explorer at the North Pole: The Autobiography of Matthew Henson." Bone-chilling wind, treacherous ice, and bitter cold. To explorer Matthew Henson, those were mere obstacles worthy of clearing in his pursuit of reaching the North Pole. His account of the perilous journey outlines an incredible feat of the human body and spirit. Henson draws from both memory and his diary entries to recount his odyssey to the pole on Commander Robert Peary's 1909 successful expedition. Through vivid descriptions of the northern wilderness and insightful commentary, Henson paints a picture of a Westerner's discovery of the North with the help of Inuit guides and sled dogs. On Top of the World is a tale of exploration, discovery, and companionship in the Arctic, told by the explorer who helped clear the way.

On Top of the World

Little Star

When Commander Robert Peary reached the North Pole on April 6, 1909, one other American was with him—Matthew Henson, a black man from Maryland who had been Peary’s faithful companion through 22 years of polar exploration. This is Henson’s story in his own words, from his early years as a sailor to his meeting Robert Peary and their multiple expeditions to the North Pole. Filled with hair-breadth escapes from disaster and haunting evocations of life in the Arctic, this classic of exploration literature reveals Henson as the true hero of the journey, one who had been forced to accept a lower status because of his race. It was Henson who learned to speak the native tongue of the Eskimos, Henson who handled the dogs and broke the trail, and Henson who arrived first at the North Pole after being purposely left behind by Peary. New to this edition are rare articles and photos of the expedition that Henson published to set the record straight.

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole: The Autobiography of Matthew Henson

Invisible Cities Press LLC

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Henson, Matthew. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Henson, Matthew

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Henson, Matthew. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

Dark Companion: The Story of Matthew Henson

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole (Black Narratives)

On Top of the World

A Negro Explorer at the North Pole: The Autobiography of Matthew Henson