London, December 26: British Royal Navy officer and Antarctic explorer, Captain Robert Falcon Scott, was carrying more than 1,200 books with him when he set sail from Dundee, according to a study.

Dr. Bill Bell of the Centre for the History of the Book at Edinburgh University has revealed that the finding is based on a study of the inventory aboard the ship RSS Discovery.

He revealed that Scott’s library on the ship was stuffed with fiction, biography and poetry, as well as practical scientific books.

His Christmas selection in 1901 included two volumes of the works of Thucydides, Macaulay’s History of England, and Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels.

Scott was also carrying essays by Charles Lamb, The Diary of Samuel Pepys, and the collected poems of Byron, reports Times Online.

Besides, the explorer also read Whitaker’s Almanac, The Times Gazetteer, and Who’s Who so as to stay ahead of his officers during after-dinner arguments.

Dr. Bell, who analysed Scott’s reading habits by studying Discovery’s library catalogue, said that photographic records showed that the latter had a very strong liking for good books.

Scott’s catalogue of books for Christmas 1901 includes:

Thucydides in two volumes

Macaulay’s History of England

Pepys’ Diary

The Times Gazetteer

Lamb, Essays of Elia

Works of Byron

Chapman’s Homer

Scott’s Waverley novels (ANI)