Account of expedition towards North Pole by way of Smith Sound. Appendices include notes on ethnology, ornithology, mammals, fishes, invertebrates, botany, geology, etc.

Published in 1878, this two-volume journal recounts the 1875-6 British Arctic expedition's attempt to reach the North Pole.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1878 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XIV. LIEUTENANT PARR ARRIVES ON BOARD 'ALERT' DISTRESSING CONDITION OF NORTHERN DIVISION OF SLEDGES -- RELIEF PARTY START --DEATH OF GEORGE PORTER--MARKIIAM'S JOURNEY. On the evening of the 8th, Lieutenant Parr made his appearance on board the 'Alert.' As he crossed the quarter-deck, silently nodding to the one or two who chanced to meet him, his grave and weary expression was unmistakable, and in a very few moments the certainty that some sore calamity had occurred had spread throughout the ship. So travel stained was he on entering my cabin that I mistook him for his more swarthy friend Beaumont, then on the Greenland coast, and therefore anxiously questioned him concerning the disaster which had occasioned his totally unexpected return. I then received the distressing intelligence that nearly the whole of Commander Markham's men were attacked with scurvy and in want of immediate assistance. Markham and the few men who were able to work had succeeded in conveying the invalids to the neighbourhood of Cape Joseph Henry, twenty-seven miles distant from the ship, and were still advancing slowly; but each day was rapidly adding to the intensity of the disease and the number of the sick. 1876 LIEUTENANT PARE ARRIVES ON BOARD. 345 Under these circumstances Parr nobly volunteered to bring me the news and so obtain relief for his companions. Starting with only an alpenstock and a small allowance of provisions, at the end of twenty miles he arrived at a shooting tent in Dumbell Bay, where he hastily made himself a cup of tea; pushing on, he completed his long and solitary walk within twentyfour hours. Arrangements were at once made to proceed to Commander Markham's assistance, and by midnight two strong parties of officers and men had...

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

John Rae is best known today as the first European to reveal the fate of the Franklin Expedition, yet the range of Rae’s accomplishments is much greater. Over five expeditions, Rae mapped some 1,550 miles (2,494 kilometres) of Arctic coastline; he is undoubtedly one of the Arctic’s greatest explorers, yet today his significance is all but lost. John Rae, Arctic Explorer is an annotated version of Rae’s unfinished autobiography. William Barr has extended Rae’s previously unpublished manuscript and completed his story based on Rae’s reports and correspondence—including reaction to his revelations about the Franklin Expedition. Barr’s meticulously researched, long overdue presentation of Rae’s life and legacy is an immensely valuable addition to the literature of Arctic exploration.

With detailed essays on the Arctic's environment, wildlife, climate, history, exploration, resources, economics, politics, indigenous cultures and languages, conservation initiatives and more, this Encyclopedia is the only major work and comprehensive reference on this vast, complex, changing, and increasingly important part of the globe. Including 305 maps. This Encyclopedia is not only an interdisciplinary work of reference for all those involved in teaching or researching Arctic issues, but a fascinating and comprehensive resource for residents of the Arctic, and all those concerned with global environmental issues, sustainability, science, and human interactions with the environment.