Hell on Ice, first published in 1938, is the tragic story of the ill-fated ship, "Jeannette, " and her attempt to reach the North Pole via the Bering Sea in 1879. Written in novel form and narrated by the expedition's chief engineer, G. W. Melville, the book recounts the crew's punishing ordeal as the "Jeannette" becomes trapped for months in the Arctic ice and the crew are forced to make their way overland in a desperate attempt to reach civilization before hunger and exhaustion overtake them. Author Edward Ellsberg (1891-1983) served with distinction in the U.S. Navy and wrote many books of naval history and fiction.