"South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917" by Ernest Shackleton is a firsthand account published in 1919. It chronicles the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, an ambitious attempt to cross the Antarctic continent via the South Pole. When Shackleton's ship Endurance becomes trapped and crushed by pack ice, the crew faces a desperate struggle for survival. The narrative follows their journey across ice floes, a perilous ocean voyage in small boats, and a daring rescue mission—along with the parallel ordeal of the Ross Sea party on the opposite side of Antarctica.