[fantasyfan]

I nominate South: The Endurance Expedition to Antarctica by Ernest Shackleton.

This is one of the most astonishing and heroic true stories ever told. Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica and his amazing exploits are the stuff of legend. One reader on the Amazon site had this to say:

"If you thought you were a hard man - read this book, THEY were hard men. They never complained - except that -20°F was too warm!! Hard to credit this happened not quite a century ago. Rubbish equipment, rubbish food, no contact with the outside world for months at a time. A walk over South Georgia, over the glaciers at 4000 feet in rotten boots and torn clothing! Barely believable. After reading this you will think twice about complaining about anything ever again!!!"

It is available free from Project Gutenberg and Amazon or one can buy it in a number of formats quite easily and inexpensively. There is also a fascinating DVD about the expedition.