Polar Reaches: The History of Arctic and Antarctic Exploration

Seattle, Washington: The Mountaineers Books , 2002. Stated First Edition, 2002. Fine navy full-cloth boards, gilt spine titles, fine. Heavy stock semi-gloss pages, fine; no writing. Navy endpapers. Bind fine, square; hinges intact. Thick pictorial dust wrapper, fine; clipped, protected in new clear sleeve. Fine first edition of this oversize rarity including the enigmatic imagery of Antarctica. Over two hundred full and partial-page photos richly detail this volume. A fascinating history of exploration at center and ends of Earth. These stories chronicle feats of bravery, blind ambition, and rivalry set in hostile environments. Details early and modern history of the Polar regions, and the stories of first exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic. The history of Polar expeditions has been told many times, but usually as personal accounts of individual adventures. This misses the overall context of polar exploration - why the British depended on ponies, or plant-eating animals (on the only continent where plants don't grow), why Franklin's men perished when the local Eskimos were eking out an existence around them (and reporting Franklin's demise), and why the Scandinavians were always better than anybody else. The first map of Antarctica was produced in 1556 - the Vikings visited the Arctic 1,000 years before. In 2001, the United States base in Antarctica is manned 365 days a year. Here is the whole story of how these frozen distant lands were discovered, conquered and tamed. Clues reside within for those with eyes to see. Includes detailed bibliography and index. Printed and bound in Hong Kong. 224 pages. Insured post.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.