After the Lost Franklin Expedition: Lady Franklin and John Rae Paperback – 13 January 2020

As an avid reader of polar literature, I was most disappointed by this book's lack of scholarship. There are no footnotes even to excerpts lifted from existing literature. For example, Charles Dickens' written attack on John Rae in Household Words regarding cannibalism is available in its entirety on the web yet there is no reference to it either in a footnote or in the list of References.. Also, the list of References excludes R. L. Richards excellent biography of Dr. John Rae. As a result, I cannot recommend this book to polar enthusiasts .

Often the story of the Franklin Expedition focusses on the ships and the men, with speculation on their fate. This very interesting account tells the ‘home story’ of Franklin and later his wife’s desperate attempts to solve the mystery if his disappearance, coupled with Victorian reluctance to accept evidence which was proved to be accurate. The stigmatisation of John Rae was a travesty.