Mark Piesing writes for the Guardian, FT, Economist and Wired, among other publications. He lives in Oxford, England. This is his first book.
One of the greatest polar rescue efforts ever mounted, a saga that journalist Mark Piesing retells in N-4 Down. ... Gripping. ... This is a book with much to enjoy and a good illustration of what human curiosity, determination and courage-and sometimes a healthy dollop of vanity-can achieve. -- <strong><em>Wall Street Journal</em></strong> In compelling prose, Piesing draws us into the feverish efforts to conquer the Arctic by air. ... Refreshingly well-written. ... Piesing deserves credit for bringing this forgotten bit of aerospace history back to light. -- <strong>Forbes</strong> Mark Piesing evocatively brings to life a lesser-known tale in the ill-fated history of polar exploration. Like the stories of Franklin and Shackleton, it combines triumph, disaster, heroism, hubris and mystery-but unlike them it features dashing aviators in airships and seaplanes. It is an epic tale that deserves to be far more widely known. -- <strong>Tom Standage<em>, New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>A History of The World in 6 Glasses</em></strong> A meticulously researched and utterly gripping account of adventure, airships and adversity, Mark Piesing's N-4 Down is a brilliant book. Packed with a cast of vivid characters, magnificent flying machines, political machinations and tales of survival against all imaginable odds, it depicts one of the most extraordinary stories of not just aviation and exploration, but the twentieth century as a whole. You will never forget General Nobile, the airship and the endless ice they faced. -- <strong>Michael Bhaskar, author of <em>Human Frontiers: The Future of Big Ideas in an Age of Small Thinking</em></strong> N-4 Down is a gripping, detailed tale of exploration, betrayal and rescue. Mark Piesing has crafted a fascinating recounting of a liminal time when flying and polar expeditions were equally risky, so of course people tried to combine them. Think The Terror, but with airships. -- <strong>Charles Arthur, author of <em>Social Warming </em>and <em>Digital Wars</em>, former technology editor at <em>The Guardian </em></strong> A gripping telling of the story of the crash of N-4 Italia and the deadly attempt at rescue.. ... N-4 Down is an engrossing read. -- <strong><em>New York Journal of Books</em></strong> One of the joys of reading accounts of events a century ago is that authors gain access to letters, diaries, journals and other handwritten material that provide so much texture to narratives. Consequently, the stories are rich in detail. Piesing provides great context about the aviation era. ... A fine book. -- <strong><em>Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star</em></strong> Takes readers on a thrilling, nail-biting adventure of the largest arctic rescue operation in history as famed Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, rushed to save the surviving crew of the airship Italia, which crashed during its attempt to land men at the North Pole in 1928. The history and aeronautical buffs on your holiday shopping list are going to absolutely love it. -- <strong>Engadget</strong> The author has visited the places about which he writes, and his sketches of remote locales make for interesting reading. He also offers useful insights on the strange blend of competition and cooperation that characterized Arctic exploration. ... Of interest to would-be Arctic explorers and armchair adventurers. -- <strong><em>Kirkus Reviews</em></strong>