Spending a lot of hours on trains this week so brought this book with me, which I've never read in full. Thread of things that made me wonder: where did Fleming get this info? 🛢
@LadyHamilton84 Yeah, Parry was very tall, over 1.85 M (I forget what that is in feet). McClintock was a little guy himself and JCR looks short in his photographs.
@judeiswrong I haven't! I've never dreamt about any of my fave dead guys. I do want to and have been looking into how to achieve it but nothing so far. 😒
@justanormaIgirI His sources are his beautiful mind and instinct. If I remember correctly, Lady Franklin met Superior Ross and described him? Did she say he was of medium height or something or do I misremember....
@MrBoatman1845 At least that must be true! John Ross, you are so dramatic. ❤️ Yeah, I'm just gonna try and have fun, but will live tweet my 'huh???' moments.
@prouvvaire Fleming is definitely a very engaging writer! I'm very bad at reading popular history because my mind always goes "oh, but who says that & where?!" I'll try to sit back and enjoy the drama.
@MrBoatman1845 I think the chapters about the Franklin Expedition and Search will torment me, but thus far I'm kind of treating the book like a novel and it's definitely entertaining. Fleming's quoting/paraphrasing a lot from other books.
Fleming says journals & memoirs are primary sources, but in published form these are of course a literary creations. Fleming didn't read any original journals. He also mostly draws on secondary sources (books). Some chapters based on more primary sources, though.
The Morning Herald of 24 October 1825 reports on the return of Edward Parry's Hecla & Fury expedition and on the departure of Fitzjames' first ship, HMS Pyramus.