Arctic Obsession
The Lure of the Far North
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- 6,99 €
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- 6,99 €
Publisher Description
More than an account of the human delusion and fortitude in penetrating one of the most inhospitable areas of the world, Arctic Obsession goes beyond the gripping history of northern exploration, of the searches for the Northwest and Northeast Passages.
From early medieval times to the twenty-first century, what has been the beguiling attraction of the North? What manner of men were they who boldly ventured into those hostile and unpredictable regions, scores never to return home, swallowed up by the merciless north.
Today’s Arctic is developing into tomorrows hot spot. Arctic Obsession dwells on contemporary issues besetting the most fragile part of our globe global warming and environmental, ecological and geo-political concerns. The book also provides an overview of the entire Arctic region, from Canada, Russia, and Alaska to Greenland, Iceland, and the North Sea.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Feeding the public's unquenchable need for stories of adventure and exploration, Troubetzkoy brings a historian's touch to his chronicle of 2,000 years of forays into the Great White North. Sticking with a chronological review, Troubetzkoy (Imperial Legend; A Brief History of the Crimean War) gives accounts of countless Arctic quests, from fourth century Greek explorer Pytheas' mysterious trip to the unchartered land of "Thule" to the 2007 Russian submarine voyage that planted a flag underwater "at the precise terrestrial point of the North Pole." Along the way, the author covers all the major Arctic explorers: the father-son Viking duo of Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson; the ill-fated Brit Henry Hudson; William Seward, the man who purchased Alaska from Russia for "less than two cents an acre"; and Scandinavian Roald Amundsen, the first man to "traverse" the Northwest Passage. But most striking are the amazing tales of life and death about lesser-known figures, such as the four Russian hunters who weathered six years stranded on an icy island that truly show off Troubetzkoy's ability as a researcher and a storyteller. But as harrowing as past tales of shipwrecks, blizzards, and starvation can be, it is in the book's penultimate chapter, which deals with the effect of global climate change on the Arctic, that the author truly unveils some haunting images of our future.
