To the Arctic!: The Story of Northern Exploration from Earliest Times [Paperback]

Jeannette Mirsky (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226531791 | ISBN-13: 978-0226531793 | Publication Date: January 5, 1998

"Who Reached the North Pole First?" A recent article in the New York Times (February 17, 1997) presented new evidence from the journals of Admiral Robert E. Peary and Dr. Frederick A. Cook that sheds light on this long-argued debate. Questioning whether the journal entries are truthful, new theories indicate that neither explorer was first, despite their individual claims. To the Arctic contributes valuable information to this debate in its lively narrative of Arctic exploration from the time of the ancient Greeks to the mid-1940s. Revealing stories of the many men who attempted to map the lands or search for means to live there, Mirsky describes the weather and resources they encountered, the temptations and odds of success, and the role of nationalism and individual character in the many conflicting accounts of Arctic exploration.

"Excellent. . . . This is a book which anyone interested in almost any facet of the north will find of value."--William Cody, Canadian Field Naturalist

"A book filled with adventure."--Daily News Journal

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press (January 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226531791
• ISBN-13: 978-0226531793
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,647,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction and Overview of the Arctic Obsession, September 12, 2011

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This review is from: To the Arctic!: The Story of Northern Exploration from Earliest Times (Paperback)

Jeannette Mirsky's well-written and fascinating survey of the often misinformed and tragically ill provisioned adventurers who sought wealth and a maritime shortcut to the spice and gold islands of the East was originally written in 1934 and has been moderately revised for the 1970 edition. I've read many books about this or that Arctic expedition and all of them seem to have a bias in favor of their subject and against rival claimants to primacy in discovering an ice-free passage through the polar seas. Ms. Mirsky deftly avoids the trap of taking sides and relies on the words of the explorers themselves, judiciously editing them for brevity and relevance.

If you read only one book about Arctic exploration, then read this one. You won't be disappointed.