The Two-Headed Whale

The Two-Headed Whale was shortlisted for the Saltire Society First Book of the Year Award.

In 2016, Sandy Winterbottom embarked on an epic six-week tall-ship voyage from Uruguay to Antarctica. At the mid-way stop in South Georgia, her pristine image of the Antarctic was shattered when she discovered the dark legacy of twentieth century industrial-scale whaling. Enraged by what she found, she was quick to blame the men who undertook this wholescale slaughter, but then she stumbled upon the grave of an eighteen-year-old whaler from Edinburgh who she could not allow to bear the brunt of blame. There are two sides to every story.

The Two-Headed Whale vividly brings to life the spectacular scenery and wildlife of the vast Southern Oceans, set alongside the true-life story of Anthony Ford, the boy in the grave, as he sailed the same seas and toiled in an industry where profits outranked human life. In this compelling account, Sandy challenges our preconceptions of the Antarctic, weaving in themes of colonialism, capitalism and its link to both environmental and human exploitation. Drawing together threads of nature and travel writing with an unflinching narrative of life onboard a whaling factory ship and the legacy it left behind, The Two-Headed Whale leaves us questioning our troubled relationship with the extraordinary abundance of this planet.

Praise for The Two-Headed Whale

“The Two-Headed Whale challenges preconceptions of the Antarctic, splicing in themes of colonialism and capitalism and their links to both environmental and human exploitation. But it is also a call to conflicting voices in the climate debate to strive for mutual understanding and better communication in the hope of a concerted, cohesive and effective approach to the crisis”
– Sally McDonald, Sunday Post

“Winterbottom has combined the story of a teenage whaler's death with her shock at the state of the Antarctic today... the book cleverly weaves these two tales together”
– Sunday Times

“An alluring-sounding blend of travel and nature writing”
– The Bookseller

“A triumph of research... a moving and compassionate eulogy for a young man who, without Winterbottom, would have remained anonymous and unremembered”
– Alastair Mabbott, The Herald

“Compassionate and clear sighted, The Two-Headed Whale brings vividly to life a little-known part of the world, and a little-known part of British history”
– Malachy Tallack

“A poised, clear-eyed and nuanced exploration of large themes, this book faces up squarely to concerns that are both personal and global. The writing – impassioned, resolute, restrained – is affecting and will endure”
– Kevin MacNeil

“Sandy Winterbottom has written a book that succeeds beautifully in combining a personal travelogue, a historical biography, [and] an environmental call to arms”
– Ken Lussey, Undiscovered Scotland

“Preconceptions about the Antarctic and commercial whaling are challenged in The Two-Headed Whale”
– Michael Alexander, Dundee Courier

“One of the virtues of his book is that as much empathy is extended to the human workers as to the cetacean mysteries”
– Stuart Kelly, The Scotsman

“A majestic look at the barbaric heyday of commercial whaling in the Antarctic Ocean and the lingering consequences for its practitioners and the planet”
– The Boston Globe

“The story of Anthony Ford is unlike the heroism of Shackleton, but it's a real story, a gem hidden in the history of Antarctica that deserves to be told ... it's as close to history as one can get. Recommended!”
– Lex van Gronigen

“As accessible as it is intriguing... We are left with a powerful sense of loss and love for our planet and our home”
– Farming Scotland

“A meticulously researched account of the final days of the whaling industry in Antarctica, interweaving the author’s voyage to Antarctica with the tragic final voyage of a young Edinburgh whaler”
– The Saltire Society

“A fascinating blend of fact, fiction, memoir and travel writing that defies categorisation”
– The People's Friend

About the Author

Sandy Winterbottom spent most of her career as an academic teaching and researching in the Environmental Sciences at Stirling University. In 2010, she left to work in the renewables industry but following a life-changing trip to South Georgia and the Antarctic in 2016, she returned to study and completed the Creative Writing Masters Programme at Stirling University, tutored by Kathleen Jamie. She lives near Muckhart in Central Scotland. This is her first book.