Voyages of Discovery and Research within the Arctic Regions, from the Year 1818 to the Present Time

This 1846 description of Arctic exploration vividly reports experiences of polar bears and icebergs, frostbite and scurvy, hardship and heroism.

John Barrow (Author)

9781108031134, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 11 May 2011

564 pages, 1 b/w illus. 2 maps
21.4 x 13.9 x 3.1 cm, 0.73 kg

Sir John Barrow (1764–1848) was Second Secretary to the Admiralty for forty years. He was responsible for promoting polar exploration, and published two books on the subject for general readers. A Chronological History of Voyages into the Arctic Regions appeared in 1818, and this 1846 publication continues the story. Drawing on the explorers' own accounts, Barrow describes twelve voyages connected with the search for the North-West Passage. These include two voyages by Sir John Ross, four by Sir William Parry, and two by Sir John Franklin (whose last, fatal expedition was under way when the book was published). Barrow documents the Arctic landscape, fauna and climate, the explorers' clothes and provisions, scurvy (cured by preserved gooseberries and freshly grown mustard and cress), frostbite (necessitating amputations), on-board entertainments, and encounters with 'Esquimaux', providing fascinating insights into the realities of polar expeditions in the mid-nineteenth century.

Preface
1. Introduction
2. Commander John Ross
3. Captain David Buchan
4. Lieutenant Parry's first voyage
5. Clavering and Sabine
6. Commander Parry's second voyage
7. Captain George Lyon
8. Captain Parry's third voyage
9. Captain Parry's fourth voyage
10. Franklin and Richardson
11. Franklin and Richardson
12. Back's journey
13. Back's voyage
14. Miscellaneous.

Subject Areas: General & world history [HBG]