A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic [Paperback]

E. C. Pielou (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

This book is a practical, portable guide to all of the Arctic's natural history—sky, atmosphere, terrain, ice, the sea, plants, birds, mammals, fish, and insects—for those who will experience the Arctic firsthand and for armchair travelers who would just as soon read about its splendors and surprises. It is packed with answers to naturalists' questions and with questions—some of them answered—that naturalists may not even have thought of.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Pielou (After the Ice Age, LJ 3/1/91) again focuses on the far North in this guide to the natural history of the Arctic. While broader in scope than Bryan Sage's Arctic and Its Wildlife (LJ 4/1/87), her book is not as easy to read and lacks photography. Pielou sets the stage with opening chapters on the sky, climate, sea, and earth formations. The remaining chapters cover plants, birds, mammals, fish, and insects. A map in the plant section codes the locations for all the life forms, while charts and line drawings by the author have sufficient detail to help the reader recognize the physical formation or life form. Pielou intends this guide to be taken into the field, and the book's arrangement encourages that use. Generally recommended for libraries in Canada and Alaska and where the Arctic is of interest.
Jean E. Crampon, Hancock Biology & Oceanography Lib., Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226668142
• ISBN-13: 978-0226668147
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Travel > Polar Regions > Arctic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated, elegantly written, May 20, 2000

By 

John Anderson (Bar Harbor, ME USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic (Paperback)

This book is a "must have" for the advanced undergraduate, beginning grad student, or serious amateur naturalist interested in the North. While a combination of other books may be more comprehensive, if I had to trek north to the Yukon, this is what I would throw in my backpack. Pielou's knowledge and love of the high latitudes bursts through every page, and the pen and ink illustrations convey a real sense of both fauna and flora.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arctic Ecotour guide's life-line, May 22, 2003

By 

An Inuk Qablunaaq "Kabloona" (Nunavut, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic (Paperback)

I worked for four years in a remote, eco-lodge and used to carry at least five books for the guest who wanted to know everything. When I found this book, it remidied the necessity to carry so many books. This book covers enough topics to be useful in almost every situation. It is well written and clear. This book was my life-line and I recommend it to everyone who is travelling north of the tree-line.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a book to be read again and again, May 21, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic (Paperback)

I have backpacked on the arctic plain on numerous occasions. Having this book along helps one appreciate the beauty and inter-related nature of the terrain. This is a book to be read more than once; read it on the flight to Alaska. Reading about how the insects torment the caribou makes one appreciate that one has repellants along, and a tent to be inside of. Of the various guides I have been with, this is almost a standard reference book to have with them.