This book seeks to provide illustrations of Artic mysteries and fictions which often occur as a result of misconceptions of Artic geography. The chapters are extremely varied in subject matter, and conclusions are in the domain of speculation.
The book begins with very early examples of northern travels starting with the probable adventures of Pytheas the Greek, Brendan the Irish monk and the four medieval odysseys of Adam of Bremen, Nicolas of Lynn, Prince Henry Sinclair and Zeno of Venice.
No account of polar enigmas would be complete without reference to the Franklin expedition, the possible fate of his lost ships and the debate over whether his men committed cannibalism. The book concludes with a deliberation on whether Cook or Perry actually did reach the North Pole, hinting that perhaps neither of them reached their objective.
close this panelPaul Simpson-Housley was born in the U.K. He has taught in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Chile. He is director of graduate geography and associate professor at York University. His books include Sacred Places and Profane Spaces: The Geographics of Judaism and The Psychology of Geographical Hazards.
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