North Pole
Nature and Culture
by Michael Bravo
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Pub Date Jan 15 2019 | Archive Date Mar 08 2022
Description
The Victorian conceit of the polar regions as a vast empty wilderness—a bastion of adventurous white males battling against the elements—is far from the only polar vision. Bravo paints a variety of alternative pictures: of a habitable Arctic crisscrossed by densely connected networks of Inuit trade and travel routes, a world rich in indigenous cultural meanings; of a sacred paradise or lost Eden among both Western and Eastern cultures, a vision that curiously (and conveniently) dovetailed with the imperial aspirations of Europe and the United States; and as the setting for tales not only of conquest and redemption, but also of failure and catastrophe. And as we face warming temperatures, melting ice, and rising seas, Bravo argues, only an understanding of the North Pole’s deeper history, of our conception of it as both a sacred and living place, can help humanity face its twenty-first-century predicament.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781789140088 |
| PRICE | $24.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 208 |
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Featured Reviews
Joseph S, Reviewer
North Pole: Nature and Culture by Michael Bravo is a history of the North Pole from ancient to modern times. Bravo is the University Senior Lecturer and Fellow of Downing College Convenor of Circumpolar History and Public Policy Research, Scott Polar Research Institute. Member of the Department of Geography's Natures, Cultures, and Knowledges Thematic Research Group. Research Associate in the Department of the History and Philosophy of Science.
I picked this book up thinking it would be a geography or environmental studies book. Instead, it is a detailed history of the North Pole. From the ancient Greeks to the Induits, the pole proved mysterious place. It could be an Eden or a window to the firey interior of the earth. Even 19th-century writer Mary Shelley thought of it as a mysterious place to start and end her book Frankenstein. The pole affected map making too. The Cordiform projection of the world was widely used after the Middle Ages its heart shape not only presented the earth as the heart of the universe, it also kept the pole area intact to display what may be there.
The North Pole is the axis that the earth spins on which is different than the magnetic north pole that lodestones and compass needles point to. Even the North pole itself does not seem like a fixed location. Since there is no land under the ice sheet at the pole, the position on the ice appears to move; there can be no permanent marker on the ice.
Early explorers had a difficult time fighting against the elements and organizing logistics in reaching the pole. The race to the pole was something almost mythical; it rivaled the much more economically important Northwest Passage. Today GPS, lightweight sleds, and other technology make reaching the pole easier. In fact, every year there is a marathon ran at the North Pole. It is a place that is much more accessible than the South Pole. Bravo presents an excellent history of the North Pole and the people who lived there, explored there, or dreamed of the pole. The book is nicely illustrated with maps, portraits, expedition photos, and even newspaper cartoons.
Max W, Reviewer
I've been obsessed with the Arctic since I visited Svalbard in the summer of 2018. So when I saw this book, I knew I needed to read it.
And it did not disappoint! This is a detailed history of the north pole. Discussed is how it was discovered and how people before the discovery viewed the north pole. A very fun and interesting story is of the airship Italia, the second dirigible that reached the north pole. Unfortunately it crashed right after reaching the pole. The politics and history of this ill-fated event is very interesting and worth checking out.
This book has beautiful pictures and maps, that helps the story come to life. The final chapters are a little more recent, and tells of women reaching the north pole. I love that the author put that in the book, it's a nice change to read about other explorers too.
So, if you're into the Arctic, and especially the history, check out this book! You will not be disappointed.
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