A new book, The Endurance Photographs, presents high-definition scans of original glass-plate negatives taken by photographer Frank Hurley during Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914-17 Trans-Antarctic expedition, widely regarded as one of the greatest survival stories in exploration history. Published by Riverside Press with the Royal Geographical Society, the collection revives images from a voyage that ended in disaster when the ship Endurance was crushed by pack ice, forcing its 28-man crew into a gruelling 10-month fight for survival before rescue from Elephant Island.

Hurley, an experienced Antarctic photographer already known for his film work on the 1911-13 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, often risked his life to capture striking images, at one point climbing to the top-gallant yard arm and reportedly lying in front of the moving ship. The photographs trace the voyage from its departure from South Georgia in December 1914 through months trapped in ice, crew activities such as football matches and chess games, and the ship's eventual sinking in November 1915. Digitisation of the negatives in 2015 revealed previously hidden details, including a sixth crew member obscured by smoke in one image.