I recently read "Tom Crean: Unsung Hero of the Scott and Shackleton Antarctic Expeditions" - very good, exactly what it says on the tin - and was shocked about just how much of a leadership and planning failure the Scott expedition was. Ignoring all strategies for efficient polar transit (man-pulled sledges??), severe issues with scurvy, scope creep, etc... Insanity, with lots of opportunities for heroism. Very "British empire".

The writeup of the Shackleton expedition was also very good. Truly amazing how close they had to cut it at every stage.