Early Dutch and English Voyages to Spitsbergen in the Seventeenth Century

The archipelago of islands known today as Svalbard is located in the arctic region north of Norway and includes the main island of Spitsbergen. The islands, Spitsbergen in particular, were central to European whaling beginning in the early 17th century, when both English and Dutch interests sought to lay claim to them and established whaling stations there. This volume contains several translated accounts of the history and significance of the region.