Disaster at the Pole: The Crash of the Airship Italia-A Harrowing True Tale of Arctic Endurance and Survival

In 1928, defying Italy's Mussolini and the entire fascist party, aviator Umberto Nobile, undertook a daring expedition to the North Pole in Italia, one of several successful airships he had designed. The tragic crash of the airship on the ice and search for survivors was the most extensive in Arctic history, involving seven nations. Although Nobile and eight crew members survived, those lost included not only their tragic companions but searchers, including the famous explorer, Roald Amundsen. The Italia tragedy was described by The New York Times as "one of the most astonishing episodes in the history of aviation."

Wilbur Cross, author of more than 50 non- fiction books and several hundred magazine articles, considers his coverage of the Italia the most stimulating and exciting subject he has ever researched and written about in his long career. It has all the elements of humanity and drama that make it ideal for presentation in this or any other medium.