The history of Antarctica told through 100 unusual objects, from the bust of Lenin to the pony shoe

Most of us imagine Antarctica to be a frozen land populated by penguins.

But the continent - nearly 10% of Earth's total landmass - has a rich history.

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the first crossing of the Antarctic Circle, the icy land is explored in Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects.

The book, which begins with James Cook's voyage in 1773, tells the story of Antarctica through 100 objects from collections around the world.

Here, authors Jean de Pomereu and Daniella McCahey share some of the fascinating finds, including a surprisingly placed bust of Lenin.

Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects is published by Conway, available now (hardcover, £25).

fish specimen

The book is now available (

Picture:

DAILY MIRROR)

Interest in Southern Ocean fish is driven as much by consumption as by research (

Picture:

Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium, Brussels)

In 1899, Adrien de Gerlache's Belgica had been stuck in the pack ice for more than a year.

For months, the men had tried in vain to free their ship before winter and the crew began to get scared.

After weeks of hard work and digging deep trenches in the ice, they sailed into clear water on March 14, 1899.

Among the specimens recovered by the expedition - at a depth of 2,800m - were two Coryphaenoides lecointei, a cod-like deep-sea fish. This was the first of its kind ever recorded.

Today, interest in Southern Ocean fish is driven as much by consumption as by research.

This has resulted in strict regulation of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish - often referred to as "white gold" due to its popularity in restaurants, where it is sold as Chilean sea bass.

pony snowshoe