Balloonist

In 1897, three adventurers gathered to do what others had tried and failed at: navigate their balloon -- The Prinzess -- to the North Pole and return. As they voyaged, the narrator, Major Gustav Crispin, was haunted by thoughts of the beautiful, impetuous Luisa. Balloonist is a deliciously entertaining mix of adventure, sexual intrigue, philosophy, and science. MacDonald Harris based his story on an actual attempt by three Swedish explorers to reach the pole by balloon in 1897. The Balloonist was written and published to great acclaim in the 1970s, earning the spot of runner-up in the National Book Award fiction prize. Then, in the 1980s, the book disappeared into obscurity and remained there until Philip Pullman sang its praises in The Observer in 2008.