Historical Atlas of the Arctic

Brings together more than three hundred stunning original maps to illustrate five centuries of Arctic exploration. It charts the evolution of man's knowledge of the top of the world as explored by sail, steam, sledge, and satellite. The maps are accompanied by an insightful commentary detailing the hopes, aspirations, and motivation of explorers and the often harsh realities they faced. All the major Arctic explorations are covered, from those by sea in the middle of the sixteenth century to the twentieth-century flights by airship and airplane. The atlas describes the search for and achievement of the Northwest and Northeast Passages, the race for the Pole, and the hunt for land in the Arctic Ocean. In concludes with modern scientific exploration by satellite and submarine.