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Arctic Exploration and Development
c. 500 B.C. to 1915. An Encyclopedia.
By Clive Holland
Garland Publishing, New York & London 704 pp. 1994. $125 (US).
Review by MICHAEL PEAKE --
Che-Mun Editor
Canoelit Home Page
In Outfit 77 of Che-Mun we told you about the classic book The Exploration of Northern Canada. This year-by-year listing of trips into our north is a welcome and scarce addition to any canoeing library. We thank a sharp-eyed Che-Mun reader who alerted us to the apparent re-issue of this rare book.
Clive Holland who, along with the late Alan Cooke, produced the original volume, has now brought out an expanded edition that encompasses the entire Arctic region.
This is a serious book and one that shows its intention to be a long-term resource by the fact it is printed on 250-year life acid-free paper. The listings include the familiar regions of our Canadian Arctic, as well as Russian, Norwegian and Danish territories.
Holland, a professor at the University of Cambridge in England, has taken the original and refined and enlarged it into a true scholarly work. The new larger format of 9 x 11 inches adds to its importance on the bookshelf.
The original listings format is maintained, which means entries are by year followed by the principals involved, a summary of their activities, and the listing of sources cited. There is a complete bibliography, a full listing of primary expedition members, and a several dozen simply drawn maps. There are no photographs.
One minor drawback from the original is that the primary listing usually only mentions one name instead of the up to four in the original. The names are there but in the copy or appendix. For reading purposes it's nice to see familiar names while you're browsing.
In comparing one item with one from Canoeing North Into the Unknown, there appears to be a discrepancy. With regard to Stefansson in 1906 where Hodgins and Hoyle say he took the Rat-Porcupine route to Alaska, Holland states he left Ft. McPherson by whaleboat for Hershel Island.
Perhaps the logical conclusion is that Holland did not consider the quick McDougall Pass return trip worth writing about since the other authors got the info directly from Stefansson's own book Hunters of the Great North.
This book represents a great opportunity to get a primary source of research for considerably less than the current $300-plus the original Canada-only book now fetches. Arctic Exploration and Development, while not flashy, is a remarkably solid achievement. It will sit with pride and reference for many years on your bookshelf.
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