SHACKLETON, Ernest. South, the Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917. London: William Heinemann, 1919. New impression, 1919, with autograph letter signed by Shackleton, 8vo (248 x 149mm.) Colour frontispiece with tissue-guard, numerous plates, mostly photographic by Frank Hurley, large folding map to rear. (Moderate spotting, damp-mark to p.77-80, 130mm tear to map.) Original pictorial cloth (rubbing to extremities). Note: the letter is mounted onto the front pastedown and is hand-written on the 'Shackleton-Rowett Expedition' headed letter paper. The letter reads 'Dear Madam, I am grateful to you for your kind wishes and also for the St. Christopher's medal which I shall carry with me. I am confident I shall be [sic] to write another book on my life's work and I trust the pages will afford you as much interest as those of 'South'. I enclose a card and invite you to visit the 'Quest' any morning after Wednesday next… Again, thank you, E.H. Shackleton'. The letter is dated 21st Aug 1921. A few weeks after writing this letter Shackleton left on the Quest for his last expedition. He suffered a heart attack on-board and died on the 5th January 1922. There are also two hand-written a.l.s. from Leonard Hussey. He was the doctor and meteorologist and friend of Shackleton's who was also on the Quest. He helped transport Shackleton's body back to England. The two letters are loose within an envelope mounted onto the front free endpaper. Provenance: B. Robertson (name inscribed on the front free endpaper).