Antarctica: The Blue Continent - Hardcover

McGonigal, David; Woodworth, Lynn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1552977064 ISBN 13: 9781552977064

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2003

Synopsis

Illustrated guide to Antarctica's environment, geography, wildlife, and history.

Antarctica: The Blue Continent is a superbly illustrated and easy-to-understand book that reveals this polar region's ruthless majesty and natural beauty.

The environment is Earth's harshest, coldest, most inhospitable climate. A staggering 98% of the continent is covered with ice averaging 1.4 miles in depth; 90% of the world's ice is found in there. In spite of the cold and ice, Antarctica's shores and waters are home to an amazing variety of vegetation and indigenous wildlife-seals, sea lions, whales, penguins and sea birds-that have evolved in extraordinary ways to adapt to their unforgiving habitat. The book features natural phenomena such as a glacier made of jagged, Jurassic-era rock instead of ice, and entire mountain ranges filled to their peaks with snow.

In the chapters on polar exploration, Antarctica profiles Captain Cook, Roald Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott, and others. Readers will experience why this continent has inspired so much effort and heroism in the quest to discover its secrets.

This book is a concise version of the authors' 608-page Antarctica and the Arctic.

About this title

About the Author:

David McGonigal is an award-winning travel writer, photographer and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. His writing and research on Antarctica combine academic accuracy, journalistic realism and a seasoned traveler's unbounded enthusiasm for the world's coldest, wildest places.

Dr. Lynn Woodworth is a wildlife researcher. She has traveled extensively throughout both polar regions.

Review:

McGonigal, a travel writer who has made more than 100 trips to the polar regions, [has] coordinated the contributions of a team of writers and scientists to produce what is arguably the best single volume on Antarctica available today. This massive book covers all aspects of the continent, including ecology, geography, wildlife, and exploration... Sumptuously illustrated with photos, maps, and paintings, this will be the go-to reference on Antarctica for many years to come. A truly superb production. (Nancy Bent Booklist 2008-11-15)

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1552977064
• ISBN 13: 9781552977064
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224