Book cover of May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth: Letters of the Lost Franklin Arctic Expedition

Book description

May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth is a privileged glimpse into the private correspondence of the officers and sailors who set out in May 1845 on the Erebus and Terror for Sir John Franklin's fateful expedition to the Arctic.

The letters of the crew and their correspondents begin…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This collection of letters is part of the canon. First, it brings the men of the final Franklin expedition to life. We hear them coming and going, speaking to their contemporaries as if in private. We marvel at the extent of John Franklin’s religiosity and his sense of having a Christian mission. And at last, we understand his refusal, during his first overland expedition, to turn back before it was too late. Instead, he stood waiting for a miracle, convinced that any minute now, Edward Parry would arrive in a Royal Navy ship.

What’s more, in his succinct introduction, editor…

From Ken's list on lost Franklin Expedition.

If you love May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth.

Browse books like May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth

Book cover of Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition
Book cover of Unravelling the Franklin Mystery 5: Inuit Testimony
Book cover of Portrait of Jane: A Life of Lady Franklin

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,299

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth, you might also like...

Book cover of Raggedyland

Raggedyland by Paul J. Heald,

An auctioned storage locker comes with a box of Raggedy Ann books and a dresser drawer stuffed with grisly momentos. A small college town in Georgia is now ground zero for a mind-bending cold case.

Local journalist James Murphy wishes he had never bought the storage unit which either contains…

Book cover of Selkie Moon

Selkie Moon by Kelly Jarvis,

We are all surrounded by darkness. And we are all drawn to the light.

The Orkney Islands north of Scotland are steeped in stories of selkies, seal folk who swim in cold ocean waters and shed their skins to sing and dance on land.

One young girl named Isla uses…

5 book lists we think you will like!