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Rejoice My Heart: The Making of H. R. Mill’s "The Life of Sir Ernest Shackleton".

[Shackleton, Emily, and Hugh Robert Mill.] "Rejoice My Heart: The Making of H. R. Mill's 'The Life of Sir Ernest Shackleton'; The Private Correspondence of Dr. Hugh Robert Mill and Lady Shackleton, 1922-33. Published in 2007 in an edition of 500 copies.

On 18 April 1922, just over three months following Sir Ernest Shackleton’s death, Emily Shackleton, Sir Ernest’s widow, invited Hugh Robert Mill, the greatest Antarctic historian of his time, to write Sir Ernest’s biography. He wrote back the same day graciously accepting the invitation, and she responded, “Your kind letter rejoiced my heart.” These two then embarked on a fast-paced project that would launch the first Shackleton biography a mere twelve months later.

Their motivation was a mutual commitment to erecting a monument to the great explorer’s memory. They communicated mostly by the post and thus left a trail of their creative process, to the delight of posterity. Their correspondence reveals facts about Sir Ernest, his family, and associates not found in the published works. It also reveals to us the personalities and sensibilities of Dr. Mill and Lady Shackleton.

The Honourable Alexandra Shackleton provides some new facts about Lady Shackleton, her grandmother. Dr. Baughman has written an informative biographical synopsis of Dr. Mill. Dr. Rosove provides background on the correspondence and editions of the biography and has annotated the correspondence. Devotees of Sir Ernest and Dr. Mill will find particular pleasure in this book. Half the proceeds from sales will benefit the William Mills Library Acquisitions Fund of the Scott Polar Research Institute.

From advance reviews:

“For a Shackleton scholar, life doesn’t get any better than this. ‘Rejoice My Heart’ is a gold-mine—and a feast for Shackleton fans.”
- Margot Morrell, author of “Shackleton’s Way”

“What makes the appearance of this correspondence worthwhile, in yet another attractive Adélie Books production, is the new information we learn about the extended Shackleton family, Sir Ernest’s love of poetry, and the ‘bent noses’ amongst the Antarctic community. Up to now, Emily seems to have resided in the shadowy background of the only woman who comes readily to mind when the ‘Heroic Age’ of Antarctic exploration is mentioned—Kathleen Scott. We’ve never really known Emily as a person. Reading through this correspondence, we come to sense who she was. No eccentricity or mystique here, but lots of strength, determination, and capability. And one can only marvel at how terrifically polite and patient a man Hugh Robert Mill was.”
- Robert Stephenson, coordinator of antarctic-circle.org.

“Congratulations to Antarctic bibliographer Michael Rosove on this book, one which is out of the ordinary in polar literature. The two sides of the correspondence between Sir Ernest Shackleton’s widow and biographer shed light on the tender heart, intelligence, and brave demeanour of Emily Shackleton so recently widowed, on Shackleton himself, and on the erudite and kindly historian H. R. Mill. This book will delight polar enthusiasts and thoughtful Shackleton fans alike.”
- Ann Savours, editor of “Edward Wilson: Diary of the Discovery Expedition”, and author of “Scott’s Last Voyage”, “The Voyages of the Discovery”, and “The Search for the North West Passage”.

“An illuminating record of a moving and fruitful relationship. This expertly annotated volume makes an important contribution to polar studies. I wholeheartedly recommend it.”
- Sara Wheeler, author of “Terra Incognita” and “Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard”.

From press reviews:

"This new book publishes for the first time the surviving correspondence between Mill and Emily Shackleton.... The letters [are] reproduced with the careful annotation and footnoting of the editor Michael Rosove.... The book’s scope and appeal is considerably enhanced by the contributions of the Hon. Alexandra Shackleton [and] T. H. Baughman.... While Shackleton was fortunate in his wife’s choice of Mill as biographer, both Mill and Emily have been equally honoured in this fascinating work."
- Seamus Taaffe, in "Nimrod: The Journal of the Ernest Shackleton Autumn School", vol. 1, October 2007

"Rejoice My Heart is a remarkable Antarctic book in many ways. It is the only collection of letters with an Antarctic association exception the recently published love letters of Paquita Delprat and Douglas Mawson. Of most appeal and value is what the correspondence tells us about Shackleton, those he knew and served with, his family, and the times in which he lived. Frank and enlightening opinions of people and events abound.... The letters go far to explain Shackleton's intense love of poetry.... Up to now Scott's eccentric though strong widow has been the sole woman character of note in the Heroic Age drama; of Emily we knew nearly nothing. The appearance of these letters may very well change that."
- Robert Stephenson, in "Polar Record", July 2008.

“Make no mistake, upon reading this remarkable book, you are left in absolutely no doubt—the wife of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was a woman of considerable substance and (where it mattered) determination… On 18th April 1922, barely days after the tragic loss of her husband, Emily Shackleton wrote a heartfelt letter to, arguably, the most gifted and polar-knowledgeable author the time, Dr. Hugh Robert Mill. She was determined that Sir Ernest’s place in history should be recorded in a balanced and sensitive way by someone who knew his subject… And so an extraordinary and, at times, fervent correspondence between widow and biographer ensued… “Rejoice” succeeds in bringing the “shadowy” figure of Emily into the spotlight for the first time.”
- Stephen Scott-Fawcett, in “The James Caird Society Journal”, No. 4, October 2008