This book analyses various French polar expedition projects that were proposed between the 1860s and the late 1930s, comparing the projects that led to expeditions with those that did not. It shows that the successful would-be explorers had to become famous first, before they could secure support and funding for their plans. Explorers were "made" partly by themselves, but also largely through the efforts of the many others who promoted their plans: armchair scientists and geographers, journalists, politicians, and common citizens, all of whom contributed to the formation of a French culture of polar exploration.