Among Unknown Eskimo: An Account of Twelve Years Intimate Relations with the Primitive Eskimo of Ice-bound Baffin Land: with a Description of Their Way of Living, Hunting Customs & Beliefs.

Bilby, Julian W. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1923.
  • Arctic Reading: Canada
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A detailed description of Baffin Island and the Inuit way of life, with an appendix of Eskimo deities, including the vampiric Aipalookvik who 'Has a large head and face, human in appearance but ugly like a cod's. Is a destroyer by desire and tries to bite and eat the kyakers.' (p.266). His account is also notable for descriptions of euthanasia: a blind man is willingly led to an ice hole where 'He went right under, then and there under the ice and was immediately drowned and frozen. A handy piece of ice served to seal the death trap, and all was over. Nandla had died on the hunt, and had entered the Eskimo heaven like the other valiant men of his tribe, and taken his place with the doughtiest of them, where there would be joy and plenty for evermore.' (p. 153) [From John Bockstoce collection catalogue, item 10, from McGahern Books, 2019.]

Hell on Ice: The Saga of the “Jeannette“

Ellsberg, Edward. .” New York: Dodd, Mead, 1938.
  • 1879-81 US North Pole Expedition (commanded by George De Long aboard Jeannette).
  • Arctic Reading: United States
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p. viii-ix, Preface: Reading what I could get my hands on concerning it [the Jeannette expedition], I soon enough saw that De Long's early failure was a more brilliant chapter in human struggle and achievement than the later successes of Peary and of Amundsen.

Private Journal of George Comer while on the Relief Schooner George B. Cluett for the Crocker Land Expedition Party at Etah, North Greenland, 1915-1917

Comer, George. RB Coll: GG-4 at AMNH Lib.
  • 1915-17 Crocker Land Expedition Relief Schooner Cluett (George Comer).
  • Arctic Reading: United States
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Expedition Outline: August 12, 1915 Upernavik to North Star Bay p. 13-38 Sept. 13, 1915 North Star Bay p. 39-43 Sept. 24, 1915 Parker Snow Bay p. 44-87 Dec. 26, 1915 North Star Bay p. 88-163 (Land party of Comer, Peter?, Dr. Hunt & 5 natives for long Winter at North Star Bay) Sept. 8, 1916 Etah until 8/3/17 p. 164-302 Aug. 4, 1917 On Neptune returning to Sydney p. 303-318

The Polar Rosses: John and James Clark Ross and their Explorations.

Dodge, Ernest S. (New York: Harper & Row, 1973).
  • Arctic Reading: Great Britain
 Preview 

These two Rosses, respectively uncle and nephew, were arguably the major forces in Polar exploration from Barrow’s initial enthusiasm in the 1810s through to the successful findings of the Franklin Search, that despite Barrow’s loathing for Sir John after the failure of Ross’s first search for the North West Passage. This is an excellent and well-written biography of the two men and their era of discovery.