A Fabulous Kingdom (2^nd Ed.) The Exploration of the Arctic

Inconstant and forbidding, the arctic has lured misguided voyagers into the cold for centuries--pushing them beyond the limits of their knowledge, technology, and endurance. A Fabulous Kingdom charts these quests and the eventual race for the North Pole, chronicling the lives and adventures that would eventually throw light on this "magical realm" of sunless winters. They follow the explorers from the early journeys of Viking Ottar to the daring exploits of Martin Frobisher, Henry Hudson, Frederick Cook, Robert Peary, and Richard Bird. The second edition features a section entitled "The New Arctic" that illuminates current scientific and environmental issues that threaten the region. Officer and Page discuss such topics as the science behind the melting of the polar ice; the endangered species that now depend on the ice, including polar bears, narwhals, walruses, and ringed seals; commerce in mining and natural resources, especially petroleum and natural gas; and predictions for the economic and environmental future of the region. Library Journal called the first edition a "winning fusion of adventure, suspense, and history."

Preface. Prologue: the Nature of the Place. PART ONE: Ultima Thule. Chapter One: Sea Lungs, Godly Commerce, and Projections. Chapter Two:Frizadores for Cathay and Polar Bears. Chapter Three: Fool's Gold, Hooch, and Mutiny. PART TWO: The Myth of the Open Polar Sea. Chapter Four: Connubial Fidelity and the Vicar of Wakefield. Chapter Five: Open Seas and Closed Minds. Chapter Six: Anything is Good that Don't Poison You. PART THREE: Racing for the Pole. Chapter Seven: Three Faces of Ambition. Chapter Eight: Amateurs, Pros, and Cons. Chapter Nine: From Polar Larks to Canary-Watching. PART FOUR: The New Arctic. Chapter Ten: Albedo, Winds, and Other Culprits. Chapter Eleven: Animals: Changing the Guard. Chapter Twelve: Boom and Bust on the New Frontier. Chapter Thirteen: Who Owns the Arctic?. Chapter Fourteen: Global Predictions.

Charles Officer is Research Professor in the Earth Sciences Department and Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Jake Page has written many books of fiction and nonfiction and hundreds of magazine articles and columns.