Books in the Cambridge Library Collection - Polar Exploration series

In 1818 the diplomat Sir John Barrow (1764-1848) published this history of Arctic exploration from the Viking period to the early nineteenth century. Quoting from eye-witness accounts, Barrow describes the landscape, fauna and climate, the explorers' battle against extreme cold, disease and starvation, and their encounters with the Inuit.

Published in 1902 and including maps, photographs and an extensive appendix compiled by expedition member and botanist Arthur William Hill on the island's plant life, this work gives an engaging account of the 1900 expedition across Iceland, around its northern coast and to the Faroes.

Published in 1841, this is the story of Eenoolooapik, a young Inuit who guided whaling captain William Penny to the mouth of Cumberland Sound - a whale-rich body of water. M'Donald, who was later lost with Franklin's last Arctic expedition, describes Eenoolooapik's life, his visit to Scotland, and his reception there.

Published in 1792, this is the first of three volumes describing the author's experiences as a trader and explorer along the Labrador coast. He vividly describes the land and the culture of the indigenous peoples. This volume covers his first two expeditions (1770-73) and starts with a brief autobiography.

William Parker Snow (1817-95), mariner and author, volunteered in 1854 to command the schooner Allen Gardiner on a Christian mission for the South American Missionary Society. Originally published in 1857, this two-volume work is a first-hand account of an eventful and wide-ranging service.

Described as 'a record of solid achievement ... in the face of hardship and difficulty', Jackson's 1899 account of his Arctic expedition describes a forbidding terrain of ice and snow. Illustrated with maps and images, Volume 1 recounts the voyage out, dramatic bear-hunts, and arduous journeys by sledge.

James Weddell (1787-1834) led several voyages towards the Antarctic. This 1825 publication includes an important early account of the South Shetlands and details of South Atlantic coastal waters. Weddell records encounters with indigenous peoples, fellow mariners, wildlife and icebergs, and pays tribute to the endurance of his crew.

First published in 1861, this biography of Arctic scientist and clergyman William Scoresby (1789-1857) was written by his nephew. The book recounts his extraordinary life, working in the Arctic fisheries from boyhood and exploring Greenland, as well as his later career as a clergyman and social reformer.

This 1876 publication records the voyage of the British ships Alert and Discovery towards the North Pole in 1875-6. Containing striking descriptions of treacherous waters and icy landscapes, together with details of the logistical complexities and human costs of the expedition, it documents an unprecedented achievement in Polar exploration.

Explorer and geologist Adolf Erik Nordenskioeld (1832-1901) is best known as leader of the 1878-80 expedition in which the Eurasian continent was first circumnavigated via the North-East Passage. This book, first published in 1879, details Nordenskioeld's Arctic voyages prior to this expedition.

Published in 1820, this two-volume guide to the Arctic was written by distinguished scientist and explorer William Scoresby (1789-1857). Volume 1 is a geographical survey of the region and includes information on ice conditions, weather, zoology, and the question of a northern passage between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

This two-volume work chronicles the first successful crossing of the Greenland interior by Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) and five colleagues over two months in 1888. The books cover their journey to Greenland as well as the journey westward across the 'inner ice', and also include appendices detailing the expedition's discoveries.

From 1850 to 1854 H.M.S. Investigator searched the Western Arctic for a lost expedition. Eventually Investigator was abandoned in the ice. This 1857 publication by the ship's surgeon and naturalist is a first-hand account of the harsh conditions that the crew endured, and testifies to their 'heroism, devotion, and endurance'.

Published in 1855, this two-volume account by the captain of H.M.S. Assistance describes his unsuccessful mission to find the missing Arctic expedition led by John Franklin (1786-1847). Volume 1 describes the outward journey, Arctic animals, and the men's struggle against the cold of the northern winter.

This two-volume work chronicles the first successful crossing of the Greenland interior by Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) and five colleagues over two months in 1888. The books cover their journey to Greenland as well as the journey westward across the 'inner ice', and also include appendices detailing the expedition's discoveries.

Explorer James Clark Ross (1800-1862) published this two-volume account of his 1839-1843 expedition to the Antarctic in 1847. The work, which includes oceanic and climatic observations, is an important contribution to the development of oceanography and scientific knowledge about the Antarctic.

This two-volume work, published in 1831, describes an expedition in support of the North-West Passage exploration effort. Volume 1 focuses on the Pacific islands, including Pitcairn, where the author met the last Bounty mutineer, and documents the explorers' first summer in the Bering Strait and their encounters with the Inuit.

William Kennedy (1814-1890) was an explorer and fur trader who was the commander of Lady Franklin's second sponsored expedition to rescue her husband Sir John Franklin (1786-1847), who had not returned from his 1845 Arctic expedition. This volume contains Kennedy's detailed account of his 1851 expedition.

Written in an engaging conversational tone, this account conveys Seward's enthusiasm for Greenland. It includes an explanation for non-specialists of some fossil plants found there, which provide evidence that the country had a much milder climate in previous geological periods. It also contains Seward's photographs of Inuit traditional life.

William Parker Snow (1817-1895) was a sailor and writer who served as second in command on Lady Franklin's first sponsored expedition to recover her husband, Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin (1786-1847). First published in 1851, this volume contains Snow's account of the expedition taken from his personal diary.

Prince Luigi Amedeo of Savoy, a grandson of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy, was well known as a mountaineer and traveller when, in 1899, he organised an expedition to the Arctic. His account was published in Italian in 1902 and this two-volume English translation appeared in 1903.

Originally published in 1884 and illustrated with his maps and drawings, this two-volume work by the doctor and naturalist Robert McCormick (1800-90) describes polar voyages with William Parry and James Clark Ross. McCormick also discusses his part in the search for Sir John Franklin, and presents a very detailed autobiography.

In 1845, Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin set out on an expedition to traverse the North-West Passage, from which he would never return. Originally published in 1851, this two-volume work charts the voyage of Sir John Richardson (1787-1865) in search of his former commander and friend.

Written by Arctic explorer Robert Edwin Peary, this two-volume memoir, published in 1898, recounts his exploration of Greenland, and his first attempts to reach the North Pole, in his expeditions of 1891-2, 1893-5, and 1896-7. Volume 1 documents Peary's first two trips of 1886 and 1891-2.

Anglican missionary Henry Lansdell (1841-1919) travelled energetically across Europe and beyond, making many visits to Russia and central Asia to distribute bibles and tracts. This two-volume 1882 account proved very popular, but was criticised for its lenient view of the harsh treatment of Russian prisoners.

Reissued in its English translation of 1911, this two-volume work traces Arctic exploration up to the sixteenth century. The celebrated Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) quotes from many early and little-known sources. Illustrated throughout with woodcuts and maps, the work also includes a useful bibliography.

Berthold Seemann (1825-71), a German-born botanist and traveller, describes in this two-volume work, published in 1853, the years he spent as naturalist on the British survey ship HMS Herald, which sailed up the west coast of America from Panama and made forays into the Arctic seas.

Written by expedition commander George Nares, this 1878 two-volume journal recounts the 1875-6 British Arctic expedition's attempt to reach the North Pole. Volume 1 describes the discovery of the route later called Nares Strait, and the dog-sled journey that set a new record for the farthest distance north achieved.

Originally published in 1876, this two-volume work documents the Austro-Hungarian Arctic expedition of 1872-4, in which von Payer and Karl Weyprecht discovered Franz-Josef Land. Volume 1 describes the region's climate and terrain, the crew's navigational strategies, and the perilous conditions that led them to abandon ship.

Originally published in 1897, this two-volume work chronicles the expedition of Norwegian scientist Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), who came closer than any previous explorer to the North Pole. Nansen's boat was deliberately driven into pack-ice off Siberia in order to drift north; the expedition later resorted to sleds and kayaks.