Books in the Cambridge Library Collection - Polar Exploration series

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.

The geologist Joseph Beete Jukes (1811-1869) was sent on a mineral-prospecting mission to Newfoundland in 1839. He published this two-volume account of the expedition in 1842. Volume 1 describes Jukes' arrival in Newfoundland, its rugged landscapes, and the daily life of settlers in its coastal fishing communities.

In this work of 1881, the Finnish Arctic explorer and geologist A. E. Nordenskioeld describes his most famous expedition, the first crossing of the North-East Passage. Volume 1 covers the journey from Tromso to the Bering Strait, and includes a review of earlier explorations of the region.

First published in 1856, this compelling work, edited by Sherard Osborn (1822-75), relates the events of the 1850-4 expedition that charted the elusive North-West Passage. Based on Robert McClure's journals, it is also a remarkable account of the daily life of a crew that survived four Arctic winters.

This weekly magazine was written to boost morale among members of the first British expedition to overwinter in the Arctic (1819-20). The publication was filled with jokes, poems and stories, offering unique insight into what polar exploration in the nineteenth century was actually like.

John Ross (1777-1856) made his second attempt to find a North-West Passage between 1829 and 1833. The expedition surveyed parts of the Canadian Arctic, and discovered the magnetic north pole. Ross published this two-volume work in 1835. Volume 1 describes the voyage, and Volume 2 contains scientific reports.

John Ross (1777-1856) made his second attempt to find a North-West Passage between 1829 and 1833. The expedition surveyed parts of the Canadian Arctic, and discovered the magnetic north pole. Ross published this two-volume work in 1835. Volume 2 contains scientific reports and information on the Inuit, including a vocabulary.

These two volumes, published in 1883, document the doomed Polar expedition of George W. De Long (1844-81). Compiled by his wife from his journals and the testimony of the mission's survivors, Volume 1 records the crew's experiences in the Arctic, and their attempts to save their vessel, the Jeannette.

The Polaris expedition aimed to be the first US expedition to the North Pole. Difficulties beset the venture from the start, and this work, published in 1876, recounts the death of the expedition leader and the crew's fight for survival. It is an epic tale of human endurance.

Elisha Kane (1820-57) was a renowned US Arctic explorer whose secret marriage to New York spiritualist Margaret Fox (1836-93) was controversial. After fighting the Kane family, Fox published the couple's correspondence in 1866. The resulting volume presents an intimate account of the courtship of two nineteenth-century public figures.

Sir Allen Young (1827-1915) was a merchant navy officer and experienced polar explorer. These compelling accounts of his journeys on the steam yacht Pandora were first published together in 1879 and record his attempts to navigate the North-West Passage and to deliver dispatches to George Nares' expedition in the Canadian Arctic.

French explorer, botanist and ethnographer J. Dumont d'Urville (1790-1842) discovered new Antarctic territory and shed light on customs in Pacific islands during a three-year expedition begun in 1837. In Volume 1, published in 1841, d'Urville recounts the perils of the journey from France to the Strait of Magellan.

In an overloaded schooner that sat only a foot above the water, Dr Isaac Israel Hayes led an expedition in search of the Open Polar Sea, a hypothetical stretch of ice-free water between Greenland and the North Pole. First published in 1866, this is his account of the journey.

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.

The traveller and geographer Sir Clements R. Markham (1830-1916) was instrumental in gathering support from the Royal Geographical Society for this 1875-6 Arctic expedition. His 1877 report on the process of setting up an expedition demonstrates the approaches adopted in the nineteenth century, and is still of interest today.

Sir Clements R. Markham (1830-1916) served as president of the Royal Geographical Society and knew the prominent polar explorers of his day. Completed by the Cambridge geographer F. H. H. Guillemard (1852-1933), Markham's illustrated history, published posthumously in 1921, draws on his extensive knowledge of Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.

H. J. Bull's lively 1896 book describes a commercially funded expedition to Antarctica to investigate reports of right whales in the Ross Sea. The explorers made the first confirmed landing on mainland Antarctica, at Cape Adare, and expedition scientist Carsten Borchgrevink collected the first samples of Antarctic vegetation and rocks.

In 1819, John Ross (1777-1856) published this account of his unsuccessful 1818 expedition in search of the North-West Passage. It tried to justify his decision to turn back at Lancaster Sound, which he mistakenly believed was impassable. Influential contemporaries disputed his claims, and the controversy nearly ruined his career.

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.