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Summary: Arctic Grail - Best complete survey/overview I've found
Review: After reading several books on Arctic and Antarctic exploration I came across this one which ties them all together and gives much detail as when and how individual expeditions came about. If you are just starting to read up on this subject or want a clearer over-view on how each expedition was influenced by previous ones then this is a must read. I think I'll keep my copy to use as a reference book when researching or referring to other books which may go into more detail regarding a single expedition but don't give all the background behind those other expeditions. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. I read the small paper-back version and the type is small but manageable. (I do not wear glasses but someone with poor eye-sight might struggle a little bit).
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Summary: From Parry to Peary
Review: Although opening with the mistaken assertion that the quest for the Northwest Passage was to employ idle sailors, this is a lively survey of Arctic. Berton sees Arctic exploration following two paths. First, the quest for a clear water route across North America - the famous Northwest Passage. The Passage quest was sought as a means of avoiding the rigours of Cape Horn or the competition on the Indian Ocean. The second quest was to fulfill the romance to stand at the North Pole. According to Berton, neither of these aims was achieved, despite claims to the contrary. For most of the 19th Century, Arctic explorations were dominated by the British. Royal Navy ships, fully manned but inadequately provisioned, skirted or bludgeoned the ice in search of open water. As in North America and Australia, the British assumed an "inner sea" that might link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Berton scorns John Barrow's adherence to the "Open Polar Sea" idea, but it dictated the plans of many British explorers. As Berton shows, the erratic nature of Arctic ice packs lent credence to the concept. Some years vast expanses of open water would appear, only to be sealed off the following year. These varying conditions plagued Passage and Pole pursuers alike. Berton skims over the 1818 Ross expedition opening the RN's Passage quest to introduce us to William E. Parry. Parry [for whom Ontario tourist centre Parry Sound is named], made three attempts to find the open water leading to the Pacific. Although his efforts reflect a courageous and dedicated officer, the real impact of Parry's voyages resulted from the loss of one of his ships. Ice pressure forced the Fury onto a beach where her stores couldn't be transferred to the other ship. In this location, well known to the Royal Navy, the Fury became a lodestone for lost adventurers seeking supplies. The ineptness of Royal Navy planners permeates Berton's account. For successive decades the RN continued to send men North to live on salted meat, making them lug huge sleds across the ice, ignoring the recommendations to use dog teams and provide hunters for fresh meat. This stubborn policy condemned countless sailors to miserable deaths in extreme conditions. Men died not from the freezing temperatures, but from the debilitating effects of scurvy. Lemon juice [not the "limey" elixir that led to the appellation applied to British sailors] was an inadequate antiscorbutic - it would freeze on the open sleds and wasn't as effective as fresh meat. Still, the RN persisted in using it. The key to many Arctic explorations was the inexplicable loss of 129 men and the two ships of the 1845 John Franklin expedition. Franklin's career was beset by ineptness, having been cashiered as Governor of Van Dieman's Land and nearly died during an earlier land expedition. These transgressions were forgiven by the British public and ignored by the Admiralty planners, who were goaded on by Franklin's wife, Jane, for decades. Expeditions by land and sea were mounted, some privately financed by Lady Jane. The explorers learned much about the Arctic, but little truly determined what prompted Franklin's crew to flee the ships. Berton calls the successive ventures the "Arctic virus," asserting that it most recognized the Northwest Passage as a chimera. That claim is unlikely, since the quest continued into the 20th Century with the Norwegian Raoul Amundsen's successful venture. However impractical the route, due to the vagaries of the ice pack, it remained an aim. Berton moves from the Passage to the more romantic objective of planting a flag at the Pole. The early attempts, including the ill-fated balloon Eagle's venture are vividly described. As every schoolchild "knows" the storm of contention came to centre on two men. Robert Edward Peary and Dr. Frederick Cook were thrown together in a concurrent race to achieve the goal. Berton's analysis of both expeditions makes a worthy finale to this book. Although today, Peary is generally accepted as the man who "stood on the roof of the world," Berton weighs the evidence and finds the award wanting. Americans who haven't read Dennis Rawlins assessment of Peary's account will no doubt be shocked to learn Peary had to have faked his daily travel rates. At best, he stopped 150 kilometres from the goal. Berton's book is invigorating reading. His highly detailed account is drawn from numerous original journals and later histories. The combination gives him a solid foundation for his narrative, brought to life by his animated prose. The accompanying maps and illustrations enhance each story as it unfolds under his deft touch. A thorough reading list for each chapter provides the bibliography, and the indexing is thorough. Given the expenditure of life, funds and material squandered on these ventures, Berton's effort to portray the complete picture deserves attention and respect. With heroism, persistence, romance all pigments in Berton's portrayal, this book can appeal to nearly everyone.
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Summary: A Very Comprehensive and Interesting Book
Review: As a resident of Barrow, Alaska, high in the Arctic, I have found Berton's book both accurate and easy to read. I'm so glad it has been reprinted. My only concern is that my old paperback version is falling apart, maybe because I have read and re-read it so much. Berton pulls together a wide variety of topics and quests, especially the quest for the North Pole and Northwest Passage. And he correctly adds a skepticism about many of these expeditions being funded in the name of science, but focusing on reaching the pole, or completing the passage, and fame instead. The section on Edward Parry's near-completion of the Passage in 1819 is superb, as are those on the tragic Franklin Expedition, and the very flawed quest for the North Pole on the part of Cook and Peary (which was the most corrupt? A good question.) The Arctic is a fascinating place. My wife Chris and I have lived in Barrow for over two decades, and we still get a thrill when we see the Arctic Ocean on our drives or walks around town. but the Arctic is often misunderstood. Berton sets the record straight, about the explorers, the Native people who had so much to teach the outsiders, and the fascinating, but fragile, part of our globe. buy this new edition before it gets out of print. Earl Finkler
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Summary: extremely useful history, well told
Review: By going into a histoic area not normally looked at, Berton has opened up a pantheon of people who at best were only names on a map. There are a series of events that are exciting as well as epic. It isn't Imperialism as such, but it reads like it. The work deals with Sir John Franklin and his expeditions with great detail, and gives Owen Beattie agood deal of space in explaining what happened and why. This book opened up history in an area I was unfamiliar with. It satisfied my curiosity on the arctic and left me with a memory of a well written account of men and women who faced challenges that are in somecases impossible to overcome,yet eventually they were. A great Book.
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Summary: A wonderful reading experience
Review: Definitely worth your while to pick up this book. I was gripped from beginning to end, literally. Only the fact that I also had the rest of my life to get on with could wrench me from this book. This is a wonderful account of the various characters that entered the Arctic searching for the Northwest Passage, the North Pole and scientific discoveries. Most possessed some ignorance and arrogance which made their stay in the Arctic rather more adventurous than necessary. I won't say any more, just read this book and discover the wonders within.
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Summary: Incredible
Review: Even if you never even considered this to be an intersting subject, this book will change your mind. From the great descriptions of the people and times, you will not forget what you've read. An excellent book!
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Summary: Traversing the North West Passage was like reaching the moon
Review: Few people realize how much effort and how many lives were lost attempting to traverse the North West Passage. Pierre Berton applies his masterful research skill and writing style at telling the story of the men and women (Lady Jane Franklin) who solved a geographical jigsaw puzzle second to none. This book will help the reader to understand the depth of the quest to cross the Canadian arctic that is lost on most of 20th century society.
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Summary: Get This Book Back Into Print! NOW!
Review: I have read this book THREE times. It is a well written page turner, beautifully describing the era, and mentality, of the Arctic explorations of the 1800's. Complacency, greed, heroism, and tragedy are the main characters in this excellent book. I recommend this book to everyone I meet!
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Summary: Well-written account of a fascinating quest
Review: I read this book about 6 years ago and I still recommend it to folks. Berton is an excellent author; his writing is both scholarly and approachable. I read the book because I'm interested in nautical history. What I got was a lesson in how rigidly adhering to one school of thought can be a deadly mistake. The book's heft may scare away potential readers, but it is a great read, best enjoyed in front of a toe-warming fire or in the middle of a heat wave.
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Summary: A must read
Review: I was already a great fan of Pierre Berton, as well as being very interested in arctic exploration and history, so it was a natural that I picked this book up. I wasn't disappointed. This may be the best book that Berton has written. For certain, the material is irresistable. There were sections where it sounded as though Berton lost his temper at the imbecilic and entrenched attitudes of some of the explorers. This book is often a testament to man's unwillingness to adapt, and the down the nose view of Europeans of the exploration era to other cultures. Only this time, it was the Europeans that paid the price for their snobbery.
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