Here are some of my favorite polar adventure titles:
1. The Arctic Grail/Pierre Berton
This is a great overview of exploration in the Arctic involving the search for the Northwest Passage and the search for the lost Franklin expedition.
2. Ice Blink: the mysterious fate of Sir John Franklin's lost polar expedition/Scott Cookman
Two large ships and 128 men who were never heard from again...
3. The Worst Journey in the World/Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Cherry-Garrard was a member of Scott's 1910-1912 South Pole expedition which ended in Scott's (and his traveling companions) death on his return from the Pole in 1912. His description of the expedition and most especially his journey to an Emperor penguin rookery (the worst journey) is riveting.
4. Mawson's Will/Lennard Bickel
The unbreakable spirit of Antarctic explorer/scientist Douglas Mawson facing excruciating hardships on the ice brings tears to the eyes.
5. The Coldest March: Scott's fatal Antarctic Expedition/Susan Solomon
Absolutely fascinating version of the story wherein the author intersperses contemporary Antarctic experiences with the experiences of Scott's expedition to bring a better understanding for what Scott was up against.
6. The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition/Caroline Alexander
Lots of photographs and a great telling of Shackleton's entrapment in the ice and his open boat journey to obtain help for his stranded crew.