Despite the common publicity gimmick of the blurb about “the first to set their feet” or eyes on some piece of godforsaken territory, this is still a sound collection of stories about Canadian involvement in Antarctic exploration. Although Canada never mounted an expedition of its own, its citizens were leaders of important expeditions starting in the 1890s.
In a Crystal Land: Canadian Explorers in Antarctica
Beeby, Dean. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1994.
- 1943-44 Canada Taberin Expedition.
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Preview
An Arctic Whaling Diary: The Journal of Captain George Comer in Hudson Bay, 1903-1905.
Comer, George. Edited by W. Gillies Ross. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press, 1984.
- Whalemen's Reading
Preview
A straightforward and not too revealing journal of Hudson Bay whaling at the beginning of the 20th century, just as Amundsen was coming through on his NW Passage. Comer was commanding the American whaler Era at the end of the whaling era. Has a few interesting book notes:
Operation Tabarin: Britain’s Secret Wartime Expedition to Antarctica 1944-46.
Haddelsey, Stephen. By Stephen Haddelsey, with Alan Carroll. Stroud, UK: History Press, 2014.
- 1944-46 British Covert FIDS Expedition (leaders James Marr and Andrew Taylor).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Preview
A thorough account of the British Secret Operation Tabarin by FIDS attempting to preempt any American or Argentine territorial claims in the Antarctic Peninsula region.This description has only a few indications of reading experiences during a hastily prepared and accident-prone mission.
The Noose of Laurels: Robert E. Peary and the Race to the North Pole.
Herbert, Wally. New York: Athenaeum, 1989.
- 1891-1920 Robert Peary and the Search for the North Pole; 1908-09 US North Pole Expeditions under Robert E. Peary (aboard Roosevelt).
- Arctic Reading: United States
Preview
A genuine attempt at an objective assessment of Peary and his North Pole claim, which Herbert eventually concludes to have been off the mark, probably by 50 miles. He carefully avoids anything that might be prejudicial against Peary, but he doesn’t seem to, the same restraint re Cook (but that itself might be prejudicial on my part). In the end he does seem to vindicate Peary as national hero (see Lisa Bloom).
Silas: The Antarctic Diaries and Memoir of Charles S. Wright.
Wright, Charles S. (Silas). Edited by Colin Bull and Pat F. Wright. Illustrated by Pat F. Wright. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Press, 1996.
- 1910-14 British National Antarctic Expedition (Scott on Terra Nova).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Preview
This is a rather thin diary of the Terra Nova expedition, fleshed out by the Editor’s commentary, and diary entries from other diaries for the corresponding dates, and illustrated by charming drawings of hundreds of topical subjects, mostly animals. We know that Wright was a very serious scientist as well as a reader; little of the reading is cited here but there are a few examples:
Report of the Operations of the U.S. Revenue Steamer Nunivak on the Yukon River Station, Alaska, 1899-1901.
Cantwell, John C. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1902.
- 1899-1901 US Revenue Operations in Alaska (commanded John C. Cantwell aboard Revenue Steamer Nunivak).
- Arctic Reading: United States
Preview
p. 49: Grouse and ptarmigan were fairly abundant throughout the winter and not only afforded excellent sport, but also furnished an agreeable change from our rather monotonous fare of canned meats. Two days of the week were set aside as holidays for the crew and permission was granted them to go hunting and trapping in the vicinity of Fort Shoemaker. With one or two exceptions, however, the men preferred to remain on board reading, smoking, or sleeping, rather than to go on hunting trips through the woods after game. As the regular drills and other duties gave them plenty of out-of-door exercise, I did not interfere with their method of spending the time given them for recreation and amusement.
The Autobiography of a Seaman.
Thomas Cochrane, Tenth Earl of Dundonald. (London: Richard Bentley, 1872).
- Arctic Reading: Great Britain
Preview
This author is one very aristocratic sailor who had his troubles with the Royal Navy and the British government in the early nineteenth century. Suffice it to say that this is not a voice from the forecastle, but of petulant complaints concerning the “injustice and folly” of the government court (p. 493). There is nothing I could find in this book about polar reading, or any reading at all.
Catalogue of the Library of Charles Dickens from Gadshill.
Dickens, Charles. [Arctic books in Dickens’ library, from J. H. Stonehouse, editor.] (London: Piccadilly Foundation Press, 1935).
- Arctic Reading: Great Britain
Preview
Dickens was very involved in the Franklin Search, including his extremely critical Household Words attacks on both the allegations of cannibalism and on the “savage” Inuit who were the messengers who brought the reprehensible news. This list has some of the fundamental publications on the Search as it developed.
At Sea with the Scientifics: The Challenger Letters of Joseph Matkin.
Matkin, Joseph. Edited by Philip F. Rehbock. (Honolulu, HA: University of Hawaii Press, 1992).
- Maritime Reading
Preview
An unusual contribution to our reader’s list from below decks. Matkin was a seaman, though a fairly well-educated one, on the Challenger, and uncharacteristically for lower deck men kept a journal, the basis of these personal letters about the trip.
Fighting the Icebergs.
Bullen, Frank (Franklin) Thomas. London: James Nesbet & Co., 1910.
- Maritime Reading
Whalemen's Reading
Preview
A novel about a whaleman and his foundling ‘son’ who learns everything about whaling from his ‘father’: the book is a good fictional introduction to whaling, a teetotaler tract (the father becomes sober as soon as he has responsibility for the boy), and a tearjerker. Towards the end of the book the author says that the boy was inculcated at an early age in the habit of reading. But there is a little bit of everything here: a happy crew converted from alcoholism, the mendacity of the owners, the death of the captain/father, the nip and sinking of their vessel, the success of the son, and his final marriage to a petticoat sailor.
The Private Life of Polar Exploration.
Scott, James Maurice. Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1982.
- Arctic Reading: General
Preview
p. 65, re Scott’s Northern Party: Levick used to read aloud in the evening, first a chapter a night of David Copperfield, then the Life of Stevenson, then Simon the Jester [William Locke novel]. That was their library, and thus rationed lasted them about half way through the winter…. On Sunday nights they sang with a religious bias.
Labrador, The Country and the People.
Grenfell, Wilfred T., et al. New York: Macmillan, 1909.
- Arctic Reading: Canada
Preview
p. 175: The best educated people in the country at present are the Eskimo. Almost without exception they can read and write. Many can play musical instruments, share in part singing, and are well able to keep accounts, and know the value of thins. These accomplishments, entirely and solely due to the Moravian missionaries, have largely helped them to hold their own in trade, a faculty for want of which almost every aboriginal race is apt to suffer so severely.
The Present State of Hudson’s Bay Containing a Full Description of That Settlement, and the Adjacent Country; and Likewise of the Fur Trade with Hints for Its Improvement, &c. &c….
Umfreville, Edward. Edited with an introduction and notes by W. Stewart Wallace. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1954. [First published London: Charles Stalker, 1790].
- Hudson's Bay Company.
- Arctic Reading: Canada
Preview
An intimate critique of the activities and business methods of the Hudson's Bay Company and one of the earliest narratives of the fur trade in Western Canada and the Great Lakes region. Umfreville had been in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company for eleven years from 1771, and was at York Fort in 1782 when it was captured by the French under La Pérouse. Upon his release after the Treaty of Paris in 1783, he joined the rival North West Company and was engaged in exploring a new canoe route from Lake Superior to Lake Winnipeg (via Lake Nipigon). From 1784 to 1788, he served on the North Saskatchewan River, commanding at its most westerly post.
When God Came to the Belchers.
Sullivan, Alan. Queen’s Quarterly 51 no 2 (1944) p. 14-28.
- Arctic Reading: Inuit and other indigenous people
Preview
On the Belcher murders connected to a religious frenzy by hunters who thought they were God and Jesus:
The Resolution Journal of Johann Reinhold Forster, 1772-1775.
Forster, Johann Reinhold. Ed. by Michael E. Hoare. Four volumes. London: Hakluyt Society, 1982.
- 1772-75 British Naval Expedition–Second Voyage (Captain James Cook aboard the Resolution).
- “Discovery” of Antarctica.
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Preview
Forster and his father George were the naturalists on Cook’s Second Voyage, aboard Resolution, replacing Sir Joseph Banks who rejected the expedition in a dispute over cabin space, and possibly a mistress. Banks took his library and instruments with him, but the library was somehow replaced by the Forster collection. Anders Sparrman was another scientist who joined the scientific team for the second voyage. The four volumes of Forster’s Journal are studded with references to many books in several languages, mostly dealing with natural history or anthropology (e.g., plant names, the copulation of sea elephants, tattoos and lip piercing, but he quotes Virgil constantly). One may assume with some degree of likelihood that most of the books cited were aboard the ship. Included here are only page numbers of these references. For all the bookish knowledge of the father there is little indication of reading in the Antarctic regions, other than looking up references. [DS]