The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-03
lib MAKING OF PEARY'S BOOK
STORY or POLES DISCOVERY
HAND no TELL.
~ Twork Done In the Intervals of l. ecsur.
ins-Tne Material Not Easy Co Deal
with-Pcary would Have Made II
shorter n He Had Had Ills WAY.

other
d. said that no had discovered there
~. on. thing harder than disco verinp
tt North Pole. aud that wa the wri,in,
= IL w, 20 put into n book The hand.
l.: Il such a bulk of material As he had
pu' 'uto The North Pole would not
be- SIMPLE matter 20 an experienced
."r "r 10 one having plenty ot l-is,lr.
g.. ~ hIs disposal; and Captain Pcary
". 49, tho ono and had not the other
his book was bio cked out. written
A.. -gtnt"d IN years time. and thu.
A. -" issue Of its busy author who was
ar,-' 'pntInually travelling and leCtur-
r- t.- while
h1ns not many books can boast ur
. ."r. 'ravel experiences before puhlcu.
De- aid Capt Pcarv In luu:Iiud.
r. .IuuscrIpt and proofs covered the
.-.a.," between ~ Louis and Bucharest
IT,. -,rv. IN latitude not quite 80 much
tween Maine and Ron. H.. ~
b s- hat its post publication travels
..npare favorlblv
iD' writing itself WAS one Of the most
81. 'iruf things | have ever tried to d,
- | had To block out the book. no
r' matter when YOU cons ider that I
~ dealing with the experiences II
- ~ Years which had TO he reduced to
a -v-'"ma ti2.d. compact whole II wls
.l.i" IA" more difficult by the fact THAI
o.. uul~ OF the experiences described
rii sen gone over eight times goin.
al eight times coming back In"
;r.rn"y up TO the last I75 miles to tn.
r ,e had become an old affair: and they
So nothing is so hard TO write Of a. the
e., -riences OF everyday III.
II was with me. the bulk % IN.
~ Was too familiar 20 have impressions
=, .,rCed. and then in the first place, IL
could have had little OF the picturesque.
lire was the -am-nesS samenesS
vtr'i''On Of records taken and obs.rva-
rr M. whole trip being blocked out
l.'0 IN" two big divisions Of tn" ship
:cl-n"v and tn. sl-dge journey over
~, land
" n this difficulty Of effectively
--"Ar,u. material which had becom.
OF o. ne. on hand. after I had blocked
,..' U.v story. there was IN. question of
-rilnS 'me 10 put II together and finish :
Dr.. 80 ~. II has been planned and writ
zen - hotels. on trains and street cars
49, 'aNIcabs even. on steamers and
..ryNh.r.' and anywhere | might find
a '"w spare hours or minutes during the
a. year OF necessity | had to make
c slant use Of dIctatGon.
In IN. actual making ~ the book
tt. choice Of Illustrations caused nearly
a- much trouble IA the i.It There was
h horde Of pictures that | gave up /,
a hop. Of ever being able 10 select few
cough To fill reasonably illustrated !
v.urue. and gave over the most Of that |
feasibility, along with IN" horde OF
photographs. 20 INV publisher
The material which has been accumu-
Lartng for - many wears Capt P"ary .
has been keeping largely IN IN. form Of
'nurnals. daily when possible. even az
INES when writing materials wer. i'm
rortsnr items 20 bs considered IN the .
.uest ION Of baggag"
When circumstances were favorable"
h" ~ "A. u mad. full accounts each dav .
This Mas when W.. w"r" aboard shIi or
Camped IN SON" t-slm" alag" But
during III" T-rods - @i"dG'' Journey
there was not much opportunity for
writing and save for h" har"-t records
and brief memoranda vro'" down
little
At the pol, itself I took down nothing
3 = tn. necessary notes and ob~"rva-
'.uns There were no scenic effects Ia
g. or be. anyway, beyond What "" had
IN for miles. Tn" Landscape was un-
,ng-d. tn. sun revolving around. ever
b," IN an apparently l"v"l circuit
"A there were no Inhabitants Ia ~"
-. popular local color W" TOOK our
,' -'rya;Ions. set up our flags and took
'f~.r picture, ana our business was ipn"
u ii not seem very romantic
'Iaking photographs was an important
f.- ~. always. aud one that coutrIbyt"~
...--' iruaDly 20 the value Of th. book With
r. 't- photographs that were taken 81
Pic. ledge journeys or in any plaC"~
N.ar,. there would be no return and n"
o. 1Dr'Guity for second exposlIr" w.
G.r"i not take the risk Of imm"fiat"
%. "opnent for fear Of failur" and
.. ,-...I tent loss Of the pictures Buy
vs-r IN or about the ship. or on huntinc
rr...- or whar. there was time 10 try -
nd tim. usually develor"d tn"
'- a. went along tn" conditions
., 'a"r" are very unfavornble for photo
E-,I ~" development light atmosphere.
r. .r rpn'raCred quarters
. author has it'll" To saw about
...r,-y style tn. book simply had To
-..-a itself out He admIts-though
.... or wisely. ne doubr- that II he
-rs followed his personal preference
-... Nor-h Pole would be a voluu"
ali 10 present size Cndoubt- ally
.....~v style il a matter Of minor con
ton when "a book can thus writ"
..--s ng--. life - action and difficult
r .."nsnt makes for itself us own
.. interesting IN this regard that ~"
ra- been COMPARED by MANY 20
To an epi" O~ drarna'Ir poem
..,rli.r siege 81 ton YEAR prod .r''!
lad. II NAV b" that a later 80 twenty
ha- DEVELOPED -.-"nnd Ntv-
...r -SImrI. narration " hrrrlr
underlying force. restraint Of
lnIry and fnalitv Il IN" wr 0..
4