Battle of ink and ice A sensational story of news barons, North Pole explorers, and the making of modern media

Journalist Hartman delves into the actions of a host of contentious characters in this tale of polar-exploration controversies and the media hype that fueled them. There are a number of fascinating personalities here, with publisher James Gordon Bennett Jr. and his newspaper, the New York Herald, engaging in increasingly sensationalized coverage to outmaneuver Adolph Ochs and his New York Times. The primary event is the competing narratives of Robert Peary and Frederick Cook, who both claimed to have reached the North Pole first, but Hartman's thorough research also casts light on the backstories of the Herald and the New York Times, which lead to forays into William Randolph Hearst's media empire, coverage of the Spanish American War, the travails of Henry Morton Stanley in Africa, and many explorations of the North Pole region. There is plenty of drama here as Hartman uncovers all sorts of conflicts and adventures, especially when it comes to Bennett and ongoing battles for dominance of Manhattan's media landscape. A first-rate title for readers fascinated by history and all who love a good dishy true story.

Polar controversy fuels the rise of the New York Times in this energetic debut from journalist Hartman. In September 1909, the New York Herald surprised the world by publishing an exclusive account of surgeon and explorer Frederick Cook's unlikely discovery of the North Pole. Meanwhile, its archrival, the New York Times, had invested in a higher-profile expedition, led by veteran Arctic adventurer Robert Peary, which had set out a year later than Cook's. Less than a week after Cook and the Herald claimed victory, Peary sent a telegram from Newfoundland asserting that he'd reached the North Pole. A vicious feud then unfolded, as Peary and the Times appealed to the National Geographic Society and other scientific institutions and publicly accused Cook of fraud. The controversy drove sales for both newspapers until it seemed to be resolved in December 1909 by a commission at the University of Copenhagen, which ruled that Cook had not proven he'd reached the North Pole; today it is widely believed that both men fell short of the mark. Hartman dramatically recounts the claims and counterclaims; draws colorful profiles of the explorers and their chief backers, the Herald's James Bennett Jr. and the Times's Albert Ochs; and incisively analyzes the populist vs. establishment aspect of the controversy. It's as bracing as a blast of Arctic air. (June)

A thorough account of the unexpected connection between American media and Arctic exploration at the turn of the 20th century. Hartman, who has written for the Paris Review, Travel + Leisure, and the Wall Street Journal, pulls back the curtain on an era in which newspapers not only paid for exclusive rights to explorers' reports; they also funded full expeditions. He deftly links the dual narratives of Arctic exploration and the emergence of modern media in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. When "comparatively unknown southerner" Adolph Ochs assumed control of the New York Times--a newspaper many thought was beyond saving--near the end of the century, James Gordon Bennett Jr. and the New York Herald's domination of the market began to slip. Ochs chose the paper's new slogan, "All the News That's Fit to Print," and wanted the paper to become a respected "national authority" and an "impartial arbiter of ideas." Bennett, meanwhile, planned to "give the public what it craved" and "achieve unprecedented circulation." In spite of these varied approaches, the Times and Herald both found the quest for the North Pole newsworthy. Ochs and Bennett were on opposing sides as Arctic explorers Frederick Cook and Robert Peary asserted competing claims of reaching the North Pole. The ensuing battle featured payouts for damning proof that an explorer had invented his data, a nasty confrontation at a public lecture, and the stunningly flimsy presentation of evidence from both explorers. Though Hartman occasionally succumbs to the challenge of keeping dual subjects on track, he is a natural storyteller who breathes life into the most obscure details, keeping readers invested as the tale progresses. This is an engrossing and readable account of polar exploration, the birth of the modern newspaper, and media wars that feel all too familiar to modern readers. Brace for media feuds and frostbite as Hartman entertains on the trail between New York City newspapers and the North Pole. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.