The Arctic Grail: The Quest for the North West Passage and the North Pole, 1818-1909 [Paperback] Berton, Pierre

Product Description Scores of nineteenth-century expeditions battled savage cold, relentless ice and winter darkness in pursuit of two great prizes: the quest for the elusive Passage linking the Atlantic and the Pacific and the international race to reach the North Pole. Pierre Berton's #1 best-selling book brings to life the great explorers: the pious and ambitious Edward Parry, the flawed hero John Franklin, ruthless Robert Peary and the cool Norwegian Roald Amundsen. He also credits the Inuit, whose tracking and hunting skills saved the lives of the adventurers and their men countless times.These quests are peopled with remarkable figures full of passion and eccentricity. They include Charles Hall, an obscure printer who abandoned family and business to head to a frozen world of which he knew nothing; John Ross, whose naval career ended when he spotted a range of mountains that didn't exist; Frederick Cook, who faked reaching the North Pole; and Jane Franklin, who forced an expensive search for her missing husband upon a reluctant British government.Pierre Berton, who won his first Governor General's award for The Mysterious North, here again gives us an important and fascinating history that reads like a novel as he examines the historic events of the golden age of Arctic exploration. From Amazon The polar north has always lured the passionate mind, the eccentric, and the damned. Pierre Berton’s The Arctic Grail is a substantial chronicle of these explorers, some of whom sought an economical northern route to the East and others adventure and fame, not to mention the backers who supported their primarily marine expeditions. Berton’s prose reads like good fiction, providing insight into the lives of the men who journeyed north--and those left behind hoping for their safe return. “I would not recall you,” wrote Isabella Parry to her absent husband in her diary. “Your path leads to glory and honour and never would I turn you from that path when I feel it is the path you ought to go....” The obstinate pride of the planners and leaders of these expeditions commanded respect from their peers despite a recurring failure to learn from past, often fatal errors. The icon of the north, John Franklin, who through his disappearance became “the symbol of nineteenth-century Arctic exploration,” is but one of the players. Other less familiar names figure in. There’s John Ross, whose 1818 expedition was one of the earliest. And William Edward Parry, whose failed 1824-1825 voyage to find the Northwest Passage resulted in the wrecking of his vessel The Fury. And first officer W. Parker Snow, who specialized in tall tales of the murder of John Franklin by Eskimos. Each contributes to The Arctic Grail a sense of adventure, passion, and perseverance in the face of all that nature can unleash. --Tim Tokaryk Review "There's enough riveting reading in The Arctic Grail to last until spring breakup."—The Globe and Mail"A magnificent history…this should be the definitive study of Arctic exploration for years to come."—Kirkus Reviews"Berton's book is a thoroughly gripping read."—The Province, Vancouver From the Back Cover "There's enough riveting reading in The Arctic Grail to last until spring breakup." —The Globe and Mail"A magnificent history…this should be the definitive study of Arctic exploration for years to come." —Kirkus Reviews"Berton's book is a thoroughly gripping read." —The Province, Vancouver About the Author PIERRE BERTON was one of Canada’s most popular and prolific authors.From narrative histories and popular culture, to picture and coffee table books to anthologies, to stories for children to readable, historical works for youth, many of his fifty books are Canadian classics. Born in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, Pierre Berton worked in Klondike mining camps during his university years. He spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain/instructor at the Royal Military Coll