Arctic Adventure [Hardcover]

Peter Freuchen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1995

An adventure classic by the famed explorer who lived among the Greenland Inuit. (SEE QUOTE.)

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fascinating... There is not a dull page in it."
--The New York Times

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

In 1910, Freuchen and his close friend, the famed arctic explorer Knud Rasmussen, founded a settlement and trading post among the Greenland Inuit at Thule, only 800 miles from the North Pole. Freuchen lived there for fifteen years, adopting native ways of life, and married an Inuit woman and had two children. He went on many expeditions, surviving frostbite, snowblindness, and starvation. In Arctic Adventure he writes of polar bear hunts, of meeting people who had resorted to cannibalism in times of famine, and of the moving experience of seeing the sun after three months of winter darkness. He writes about the Inuit with great respect and affection, describing their stoicism amidst hardship, their spiritual beliefs, their ingenious ways of surviving their harsh environment, their humor in the face of danger, and the social politics behind such customs as "wife-trading." Freuchen's warmth, wit, and tremendous literary ability make this book stand out from so many explorers' tales; it is a rich human saga.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 467 pages
• Publisher: Ams Pr Inc (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0404116388
• ISBN-13: 978-0404116385
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,354,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great adventurers and story tellers., September 3, 2002

By 

Sysmg (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arctic Adventure (Hardcover)

Unlike many European adventurers who forced their vision upon the natives, Peter Freuchen adopted their ways. He was quite a remarkable individual. His life jumped from one life changing adventure to another. This book covers his life in the Artic, which was remarkable. Later in his life, he wrote a book which covers this material and other adventures (including Alaska, the Soviet Union) called 'Vagrant Viking'. I highly recommend that book too.

Also unlike many adventurers (such as Ernest Shackleton) Freuchen wrote incredibly well. His insights into different cultures and people and his writing style are exceptional. One passage that stood out in this book had to do with him finding out that he was going to be a father: "My whole life was changed, given impulse and purpose. Before the arrival of children a man is seldom aware of the need for them. Afterward, he can scarcely credit life as holding any interest without them." I highly recommend this book, which will be reprinted in November 2002.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, August 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Arctic Adventure (Hardcover)

My grand father introduced me to this book and Jim Corbett's writing. Any one who ever longed to travel should read Freuchen and Corbett. Honestly written, with detail, wisdom, and the appreciation of irony that makes life in hardship enjoyable. I read it every fall when cold weather sets in. I agree with the previous reviewer. If you only read one book this year, make it Arctic Adventure.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible story of exploring Greenland... great writer., December 6, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Wenatchee, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arctic Adventure (Hardcover)

Fruechen was an early Greenland explorer and wrote a brilliant chronical of his adventures. Combines vivid descriptions of the hardship, landscape and eskimos with a sharp sense of humor. Freuchen, in my opinion, is the Michael Jordan of story tellers. If I had only one book in the world to keep, this would be it.