Hero in Disgrace: The Life of Arctic Explorer Frederick A. Cook

After more than 80 years, the controversy continues: Who really discovered the North Pole--Robert Peary, Frederick Cook or neither? Abramson ( The National Geographic Society ) bases the case for Cook on the explorer's own writings and on conclusions of certain historians and geographers. It is an intriguing exercise, yet not definitive. Reviewing Cook's expeditions from 1891 to 1908, in parallel to Peary's, Abramson examines the efforts--including suborning witnesses, doctoring photos and producing a fake ``confession''--of Peary's financial backers and the press to destroy Cook's reputation. He concludes that Cook's 1923 conviction on fraud charges was biased. This is a grand story, full of adventure and intrigue. Photos. (June)