This book fundamentally altered the paradigm through. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Documenting more than 2500 years of arctic exploration, from the earliest seafarers of antiquity and the great naval and mercantile voyages in search of the northwest and northeast passages, to the conquest of the north pole and even beyond, a history of arctic exploration is the definitive account of expeditions made throughout the great northern polar expanse. British, dutch, norwegian, russian and danish adventurers spent four centuries attempting to find a route west and east through the seemingly impenetrable ice. They knew about the arctic named arktos the bear, from the constellation the great bear and decided that in order to balance the world, there should be a similar cold southern landmass that was the same but the opposite ant arktos opposite the bear.
Time to eat the dogs a podcast about science, history. Mccorristine enthusiastically peppers his prose with ghost, ship, and snow metaphors. Revenues from hydrocarbon production there account for about 85% of alaskas total unrestricted revenues and are building a fund in which all alaskans will share in the future. Polar exploration in the arctic and antarctic by guest blogger joann wasik at recently, i read a harrowing account of a doomed 1912 arctic expedition, where a ship seeking new hunting grounds became frozen in the pack ice of the kara sea. The age of exploration ended in the early 17th century after technological advancements and increased knowledge of the world allowed europeans to travel easily across the globe by sea. Exploration of north america, american history to 1607, viking discovery of america, voyage of christopher columbus, spanish explorers in america. This book compiles science, natural history, poetry, history, what it feels like to be in antarctica and why people decide to go there to capture the whole story of the white continent. Tina adcock talks about the controversy over george putnams baffin land expedition and why it tells a bigger story about the changing culture of exploration in the 1920s. Hes written about hiphop spectacular vernaculars, 1995 and the history of polar exploration arctic spectacles, 2007, as well as a novel, pyg. Included are the contributions of the norse, irish, iberians. He, wilson and bowers had performed one of antarctic historys. A history of the arctic by john mccannon is a very readable book and the best ive read so far on the subject ive read over 25. The greatest survival story in the history of exploration mar 3, 2014.
Mccannon discusses polar exploration and science, nationbuilding, diplomacy, environmental issues, and climate change, and the role indigenous populations have played in the arctic s story. See more ideas about arctic explorers, arctic and antarctica. Arctic exploration and a fascination with disaster the. The untold story of the northwest passage, is the more inclusive narrative of. A few scientific findings did come out of the expedition. Author ken mcgoogan says his latest book, dead reckoning. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. The 20 best books about the arctic and antarctic to read. Barry lopezs national book awardwinning classic study of the far north is widely considered his masterpiece. A brief history of antarctic exploration south american. Captain scotts antarctic sacrifice, an examination of the enduring appeal of the scott story, the drive to explore hostile environments and the. Exploration of north america american history to 1607.
Yet failure did little to dampen the enthusiasm of new explorers or the crowds at home that cheered them on. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the arctic circle. The expeditions of benjamin leigh smith, englands forgotten arctic explorer calgary. History of international collaboration on the exploration. Adcock is an assistant professor of history at simon fraser university. Nature, exploration and exploitation is a monograph of exceptional quality, which should be read by anyone, irrespective of academic background, who is interested in understanding or cares for the future of this vastly important region of our world. Polar exploration in the arctic and antarctic weareteachers. The debate on global warming has focused international attention on the arctic. The best books on polar exploration five books expert.
Bibliography includes bibliographical references p. A history of dreams and ghosts in polar exploration. T he faded sign is nothing more than a simple wooden board, a faint white hand painted on its center, the index finger pointing ahead. The creation of permanent settlements and colonies created a network of communication and trade, therefore ending the need to search for new routes. Mccannon discusses polar exploration and science, nationbuilding, diplomacy, environmental issues, and climate change, and the role indigenous populations have played in the arctics story. Take an arctic exploration on the atlantic there have been many notable arctic explorers who left their marks in the annals of polar exploration history. Filled with historical, cultural and environmental facts, professor mccannon weaves the many story lines into a very useful work that fills in many of the gaps other books leave out. Cold and isolated, yet home to some 4 million people. It was the ancient greeks who first came up with the idea of antarctica. Arctic timeline from 20072008 north polar chart, showing international polar stations, 18821883 from the scottish geographical magazine volume i, no. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in. I found the book to be refreshing while offering fresh ideas and analysis of a large body of knowledge.
Visitors to the arctic enter places that have been traditionally imagined as otherworldly. Nature, exploration and exploitation mccannon, john on. Few of these missions were successful, and many men lost their lives en route. In a history of the arctic, awardwinning polar historian john mccannon provides an engaging overview of the region that spans from the stone age to the present. But mystery shrouds much of the story behind this 19thcentury signpost. Arctic obsession drove explorers to seek the north pole. Michael f robinson in the late 1800s, arctic fever swept across the nation as dozens of american expeditions sailed north to the arctic to find a sea route to asia and, ultimately, to stand at the north pole.
History of international collaboration on the exploration and development of the arctic. The story of a basecamp doctor who spends fourteen months at an isolated british research. This strangeness fascinated audiences in nineteenthcentury britain when the idea of the heroic explorer voyaging through unmapped zones reached its zenith. How to build the 2018 lego set 60195 this set has 786 pieces and is suitable for ages 7 12 buy this article on. Arctic regions discovery and exploration british history 19th century shipwreck at cape flora. Opponents of arctic exploration argue the area poses too many unknown challenges, but those objections ignore the industrys 50year history of successful operations in the arctic, including the. Vilhjalmur stefansson a chronological account based largely on original narratives of the work of explorers and of expeditions in various sectors of the arctic, with chapters on the franklin search, first international. The untold story of a 165year search, was published in. However, we are most concerned with the history of atlantic arctic exploration here, particularly that which concerns the svalbard archipelago. The lands of silence, a history of arctic and antarctic.
Nature, exploration and exploitation, john mccannon is published by reaktion books. New book introduces the unsung heroes of arctic exploration. Cohen antarctica travel icebergs against a dark sky antarctica may only be the fifth largest continent, but in many other ways it is ahead of the pack. With the character of the arctic in a dramatic state of flux, and arguments over sovereignty once again rising to the surface, it is timely that a history of the exploration of this remote region be published. History of arctic slope oil exploration journal article. This fascinating volume details two millenia of arctic exploration driven by a hunger for commercial routes to the orient, colonization, exploitation of the natural resources of north america, and the pursuit of fame and glory. Free online books on voyages and expeditions of discovery in north america and the world until the jamestown settlement in. Nature, exploration, and exploitation kindle edition by mccannon, john. The chapter discusses the key lines of international collaboration in the fields of exploration and development of the arctic, from the first autonomous. A comprehensive narrative stretching from the voyage of pytheas the massilia, the first to record reaching the edge of the ice, to the moment a russian icebreaker arrived at the north pole in 1991 is interleaved with a study of the development of polar. Max joness top 10 books about exploration books the.
The greatest ever account of polar exploration literary hub. In the late 1800s, arctic fever swept across the nation as dozens of american expeditions sailed north to the arctic to find a sea route to asia and, ultimately, to stand at the north pole. But arctic exploration really took off in the 16th century with attempts to find an arctic sea passage from the atlantic that would ease trade with asia. Author and journalist roland huntford picks the best books on the early history. The spectral arctic is a book i can only strongly recommend a book that is both a fascinating and pageturning read, as well as a thorough scholarly engagement with historical, cultural, and political geographies. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored the northern extremes since 325 bc, when the ancient greek sailor pytheas reached a frozen sea while attempting to find a source of the metal tin. Arctic horror series the terror is one of the best new shows of 2018. The authors provide a thorough and thoughtful analysis of the history of arctic exploration. His book the open polar sea, published in 1867, captured. Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the arctic region of the earth. The storied history of arctic exploration isnt over. While containing an almost insatiable wealth of information, this book is. Lopez offers a thorough examination of this obscure worldits terrain, its wildlife, its history of eskimo natives and intrepid explorers who have arrived on their icy shores.
The history of north pole expeditions national geographic. The last photo of mawsons far eastern party, taken when they left the australasian antarctic partys base camp on november 10, 1912. Arctic exploration and a fascination with disaster research. The exploration of the arctic during the modern era that gave rise to todays currently claims in the region. A brief history of antarctic exploration october 12, 2019 alan r. And, given its open access availability by ucl press, i have no doubt it will reach a wide readership.
A history of the arctic nature, exploration and exploitation john mccannon. How george putnams arctic expedition got into trouble. Summary describes the ice cap above the northernmost shores of asia, north america, and greenland, and the expeditions that crisscrossed it in search of the north pole. Kane the arctic hero antique 1866 book boys exploration polar regions elisha picturesque america 1872 the land we live in volume 1 div.
Francis spuffords first book, i may be some time, traces the history of polar exploration and its place in the cultural imagination, in particular. A tale of deadly obsession in the amazon by david grann, endurance. Now we have a history of the region on a suitable scale. These arctic explorers and their books are the real northpolar stars, according to john r. A brief history of the age of exploration thoughtco. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a history of the arctic. The earliest references to arctic exploration are shrouded in obscurity as a result both of inaccurate ideas of the shape of the earth and of primitive navigation techniques, which make it difficult to interpret early maps and accounts of voyages. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Peterscomprising meteorology and topography of the arcticwas published by national geographic. A history of the arctic by john mccannon from reaktion books. Explore the long history of exploration of the arctic from 330 bc to the present. Probably the first to approach the arctic regions was a greek, pytheas, who in the 4th century bce made a.