“A leader is a dealer in hope.” —Napoleon BonaparteHere in Episode 35, we take a closer look at two perhaps lesser-known great leaders in history. When all hope was lost and the odds were stacked against them, they defied all probability and led their men safely home. These are two of the most fascinating adventure stories ever told. Sir Ernest Shackleton and Xenophon did the extraordinary and both lived to tell their tales.

Episode Notes:

• Shackleton's final Antarctic expedition of 1921-22 had imprecise goals but one of them was a possible circumnavigation of the continent.

Books:

• Anabasis by Xenophon
• A History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great by J.B. Bury and Russell Meiggs
• Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
• South! The Journey of Shackleton’s Last Expedition 1914-1917 by Sir Ernest Shackleton

Film:

• Shackleton (2012) with Kenneth Branagh