The Arctic: An Anthology

An excellent, wide ranging and evocative account visits to, and fiction about, the Arctic ranging from the earliest written accounts and explorers through to the modern age of global warming. Informative, varied and invaluable as an introduction to the history of the land-free frozen mass. This volume also includes fictional accounts by Jack London and Jules Verne, as well as Eskimaux accounts, and the surviving fragments of the diary of the two balloonists of 1897, who failed to cross the area in their helium balloon - their photographic film was found - and developed, thirty years after their deaths on the ice. Poigniant.See also Sara Wheelers comprehensive, superbly researched and modern-realistic personal account of all the countries that 'own a slice' of the territory geographically and historically - The Magnetic North. The two books give an excellent overview of the history and early accounts of the modern day problems of the Arctic.

Read as I flew to West Coast Canada- and saw the landscapes in print from the aeroplane windows- ice flows and all. Engrossing..

Excellent extracts from the best and most adventurous of Arctic writing. But you do have to be a bit addicted to the Arctic to keep on reading.

There are many good reviews for this book and, in terms of the book, I agree it is an informative and interesting book with many very good pictures. I have only started to read it fully. I was not anticipating all the information about the birds and animals of the arctic so that was an added bonus. However the book is really big and heavy. I find I cannot hold it up to read it as with a conventional book. When I try to read it lying flat the print is so small I have to use a magnifying glass. A bit tough for older people.