Polaris: The Chief Scientist's Recollections of the American North Pole Expedition, 1871-73 Contributor(s): Bessels, Emil (Based on a Book by), Barr, William (Editor), Barr, William (Translator) |
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ISBN: 1552388751 ISBN-13: 9781552388754 Publisher: University of Calgary Press OUR PRICE: $42.70 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: November 2016 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Polar Regions - History | Expeditions & Discoveries - Biography & Autobiography | Science & Technology |
Physical Information: 1.7" H x 6" W x 8.9" (5.03 lbs) 672 pages |
Themes: - Cultural Region - Arctic/Antarctic - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Emil Bessels was chief scientist and medical officer on George Francis Hall's ill-fated American North Pole Expedition of 1871-73 on board the ship Polaris. Bessels' book, translated from the German in its entirety for the first time, is one of only two first-hand accounts of the voyage, and it is the only first-hand account of the experiences of the group which stayed with the ship after it ran afoul of arctic ice, leaving some of its crew stranded on an ice floe. Bessels and the others spent a second winter on shore in Northwest Greenland, where the drifting, disabled ship ran aground. Hall died suspiciously during the first winter, and Bessels is widely suspected of having poisoned him. Bill Barr has uncovered new evidence of a possible motive. |
Contributor Bio(s): Barr, William: - William Barr is a research fellow at the Arctic Institute of North America. A glacial geomorphologist by training, his major research focus is the history of exploration in the Arctic. He is a recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Historical Association for his contributions to the historiography of the Canadian North. |