Historical Atlas of the Arctic - Hardcover

Hayes, Derek

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0295983582 ISBN 13: 9780295983585

Publisher: University of Washington Press, 2003

Synopsis

The vast empty spaces of the Poles were the last frontier to be assailed by explorers intent on achieving a geographical goal―the North Pole was finally reached in 1909. But long before that men sailed the seas searching for an easier and shorter path to the riches of the orient, and the mapmakers of the day translated sparse information, turning it into often stunningly beautiful maps. The fact that most of the information required to make such a map was missing or erroneous mattered little; the maps live on as testimony to hopes and dreams.

The idea that the Arctic Ocean was an open sea, unable to freeze due to movement and size, drove early mariners to attempt to sail across the top of the world to reach the spices of the east. In so doing, maps were made showing the routes men thought they could take, and the routes they actually took, which were usually vastly different.

Almost 200 historical maps, many never before reproduced, from collections around the world, illustrate all the significant Arctic explorations from the sixteenth century until well into the twentieth. Readable yet scholarly text informs the maps, as each double-page spread tells a story in itself.

About this title

About the Author

Derek Hayes , author of the award-winning Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest, trained as a geographer at the University of Hull in England and the University of British Columbia.

Reviews

Naming places after oneself is one of the perks of being an explorer, as the geographical nomenclature of the Arctic testifies. It is also politic to gratify one's sponsors, so names of European royals, a U.S. president, and a distiller also dot the vast north. Four hundred years of finding and naming, from Frobisher Bay to Laptev Sea to Prince Charles Island, are literally displayed in this work. It reproduces cartography constructed from information brought back by expedition leaders--or often by their surviving subordinates. Compiler Hayes provides summary narratives of major ventures, such as Russia's Great Northern Expedition of the 1730s, but the heart of the work beats with the visual elegance and accuracy of the 300 maps included. Except for the modern, satellite-generated charts Hayes shows, most are super-rare, under archival lock-and-key or in private collections. Map lovers will find in Hayes' pricey album the access they're unlikely to obtain personally. REVWR
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Edition details

• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0295983582
• ISBN 13: 9780295983585
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224