Recommended Reading - The Viking Trail to the Americas
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ESSENTIAL READING
The Arctic, A Guide to Coastal Wildlife • Tony Soper • Dan Powell
FIELD GUIDE • 2005 • PAPER • 144 PAGES
A compact, illustrated guide to coastal marine mammals and seabirds of the circumpolar north featuring handsome watercolor illustrations by Dan Powell and lively text on the natural history of each species by intrepid expedition leader and bird-lover Tony Soper. An essential handbook for the ship-based traveler. With a brief overview of history, short chapters on plants and invertebrates, and glossary of snow and ice. (ARC85, $21.95)
Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga • William Fitzhugh • Elisabeth Ward
HISTORY • 2000 • PAPER • 432 PAGES
Published in conjunction with a Smithsonian exhibit, this excellent book explores the culture and history of the Vikings, and especially their well documented voyages to North America. Featuring 400 color photographs, the book also includes lively essays on Viking art, religion, daily life and colonies. It's especially good on Viking expansion and settlements in North America. (VIK11, $34.95)
This Cold Heaven, Seven Seasons in Greenland • Gretel Ehrlich
TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2003 • PAPER • 400 PAGES • FAVORITE
No lightweight, Ehrlich wandered, mostly alone, by boat, helicopter, plane, and dogsled over seven seasons in Greenland. This account of her travels in the region reflects her insight, knowledge, and deep appreciation of the people and barren landscapes of the north. A first-rate writer and philosopher, she interweaves the story of her own peregrinations with the story of Greenland-born Knud Rasmussen, the Arctic explorer who established a trading base at Thule with Peter Freuchen; and the result is a profound, exhilarating book. (ARC107, $14.00)
N by E • Rockwell Kent • Edward Hoagland
EXPLORATION • 1996 • PAPER • 282 PAGES
A journal of adventure, illustrated with wood-block prints by the author on every other page, this is Kent's lively account of seafaring, adventure and the Arctic, originally published in 1930 in a limited edition. The account of a sailing trip from Labrador, the book culminates with Kent and his party stranded in Greenland. (ARC35, $19.95)
Arctic Dreams, Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape • Barry Lopez
NATURAL HISTORY • 2001 • PAPER • 417 PAGES • FAVORITE
One of the best books we've read on any destination, this celebrated meditation on the Arctic draws on Lopez's travels throughout the North, including Baffin Island, Siberia and Greenland. A dazzling writer and compassionate observer, Lopez weaves biology and history into his storytelling, including extended chapters on the polar bear and narwhal. (ARC11, $15.00)
ALSO RECOMMENDED
Lonely Planet Greenland and the Arctic • Deanna Swaney • GUIDEBOOK • A comprehensive
guide to the circumpolar north, covering Greenland and the Alaskan, the Canadian, the Scandinavian and the Russian Arctic. (ARC73, $26.99)
Atlantic Canada Map • ITMB • A double-sided map of the Maritime Provinces, including Newfoundland on the reverse, at a scale of 1:950,000. (CND50, $6.95)
Greenland Map • ITMB • A full-color, folded map of Greenland for travelers at a scale of 1:1,500,000. (ARC111, $9.95)
North Circumpolar Region • Canada Map Office • A bird's-eye view of the Arctic Ocean and all the lands of the far north, at a scale of 1:10,000,000. (ARC16, $19.95)
The Frozen Echo, Greenland and the Exploration of North America, 1000-1500 • Kirsten Seaver • HISTORY • A scholarly account of Norse settlements in Greenland and Canada -- the best analysis of the subject to be published in decades. (ARC76, $27.95)
The Vikings and America • Eric Wahlgren • HISTORY • An insightful account of the Vikings' discovery and exploration of America, based on archaeology and the ancient sagas. With site diagrams and black-and-white photographs throughout. (VIK12, $18.95)
The Vikings, Lords of the Seas • Yves Cohat • HISTORY • An indispensable reference that fits in your pocket, this slim volume, part of the "Discoveries" series, is packed with maps, archival photographs and illustrations. It tells of the Norse homeland, discoveries and settlements, and features a useful chronology and excerpts from the Viking Sagas. (VIK01, $12.95)
This Marvellous Terrible Place, Images of Newfoundland and Labrador • Yva Momatiuk • John Eastcott • CULTURAL PORTRAIT • This portrait of Newfoundland, compiled by two accomplished photojournalists, combines color photographs and oral histories of the area. (NFL07, $24.95)
Great Heart, The History of a Labrador Adventure • John Rugge • James West Davidson • EXPLORATION • A riveting account of three turn-of-the-century expeditions across the Ungava-Labrador Peninsula. (CND63, $17.00)
Newfoundland, Journey into a Lost Nation • Greg Locke • Michael Crummett • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • Crummett, a Newfie journalist, teams up with photographer Greg Locke for this illustrated chronicle of the island, its history, changing traditions and ways of life. (NFL19, $21.95)
The Boat Who Wouldn't Float • Farley Mowat • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • A laugh-out-loud account of Mowat's determination to refurbish and sail a clunky old boat in the not-always-forgiving waters of Newfoundland. (NFL02, $5.50)
The First Crossing of Greenland • Fridtjof Nansen • EXPLORATION • Nansen's account of his 1888 Greenland journey by ski and sledge with five companions, the first successful expedition across the Greenland icecap. (ARC132, $19.95)
The Ice Finders, How a Poet, a Professor and a Politician Discovered the Ice Age • Edmund Blair Bolles • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • A wonderfully eccentric history of 19th-century science, focusing on three personalities and their ideas about the role of ice in Earth's history. Each contributed to the Victorian debate among scientists, explorers and the man on the street about the nature of the polar regions. (ARC78, $13.00)
The Sagas of Icelanders • Jane Smiley • Robert Kellog • EXPLORATION • Nine sagas and six tales composed between 1000 and 1500, including an account of Leif Eriksson's voyage to North America, all newly translated. With an introduction by Jane Smiley. (ICL13, $21.00)
Theatre of Fish, Travels Through Newfoundland and Labrador • John Gimlette • TRAVEL NARRATIVE • A rollicking account of Gimlette's adventures in Newfoundland and Labrador on the trail of a great-great grandfather. It's a witty tale, soaked in fishy history, myth, lore and incident. (CND234, $15.00)
To the Arctic, The Story of Northern Exploration from Earliest Times • Jeanette Mirsky • EXPLORATION • A classic and wide-ranging narrative of Arctic exploration from the Dutch in Spitsbergen to the Russian Great Northern Expedition, the search for Franklin and the quest for the North Pole. (ARC31, $17.00)
Ultima Thule, Explorers and Natives in the Polar North • Andre Malaurie • EXPLORATION • In this oversize, handsomely illustrated history of European exploration of Greenland and the Arctic, Malaurie draws together explorers' logs, Inuit accounts, photographs, engravings, and period drawings. (ARC123, $75.00)
Vinland Sagas, Norse Discovery of America • Magnus Magnusson • EXPLORATION • These Icelandic sagas, as edited by the great Magnus Magnusson, tell the compelling story of the Norse discovery of America five centuries before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. (VIK03, $12.00)
Weird and Tragic Shores: The Story of Charles Francis Hall, Explorer • Chauncey Loomis • Andrea Barrett • EXPLORATION • The tale of 19th-century Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his untimely death somewhere in Greenland. (ARC63, $19.00)
Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo • Henry Rink • ANTHOLOGY • A facsimile edition of a collection of Greenlandic tales with a sketch of "their habits, religion, language and other peculiarities" by the explorer and Danish governor of Southern Greenland, originally published in 1875. With woodcuts and engravings. (ARC184, $12.95)
No One Thinks of Greenland • John Griesemer • LITERATURE • The Allies secret WWII army base in Greenland serves as inspiration for this tale of mysterious goings-on during the Korean War. (ARC149, $14.00)
Salamina • Rockwell Kent • LITERATURE • A warm account of adventures in Greenland circa 1931, featuring portraits of the people encountered (including the title heroine) and pen-and-ink illustrations by the sailor, adventurer and illustrator. (ARC143, $19.95)
The Greenlanders • Jane Smiley • LITERATURE • FAVORITE • This marvelously researched novel recreates life in the Viking settlements in Greenland. (ARC08, $15.95)
A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic • E.C. Pielou • NATURAL HISTORY • A well written primer on Arctic climate, geography, plants, birds, mammals and insects. It's a highly recommended, enthusiastic guide to natural history throughout the North. (ARC03, $20.00)
Cod, A Biography of a Fish that Changed the World • Mark Kurlansky • NATURAL HISTORY • A sparkling extended essay on the cod in the tradition of Lopez or McPhee, looking at the importance of the fish to cuisine and commerce, throwing much light on the plight of the Grand Banks and fisheries. (OCE10, $14.00)
Riddle of the Ice, A Scientific Adventure into the Arctic • Myron Arms • SCIENCE • An account of a 1991 scientific expedition to study climate change, including sailing voyage from Newfoundland across the Davis Strait to Greenland aboard a 50-foot sloop. (ARC93, $12.95)
Sea of Slaughter, A Chronicle of the Destruction of Animal Life in the North Atlantic • Farley Mowat • NATURAL HISTORY • An examination of human exploitation of the marine resources of the North Atlantic, with sections on whaling, the Great Auk and cod. (OCE07, $16.95)
A Field Guide to North Atlantic Wildlife: Marine Mammals, Seabirds, Fish and Other Sea Life • Noble S. Proctor • Patrick J. Lynch • FIELD GUIDE • A comprehensive pocket guide to commonly encountered marine mammals, seabirds and other marine life of Northeastern North America, from North Carolina to Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritimes. (NAM24, $19.95)
Seabirds of the World, A Photographic Guide • Peter Harrison • FIELD GUIDE • Pack this book with your Dramamine; our 10-year-old copy has been everywhere. It's a definitive, compact guide to all the world's seabirds, featuring 740 photographs. Harrison helpfully includes a key to those confusing tubenoses (albatrosses, petrels etc). (FG16, $29.95)
Smithsonian Handbook: Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises • Mark Carwardine • FIELD GUIDE • In the trademark, graphic Eyewitness style, this sturdy guidebook colorfully describes the world's cetaceans with numerous illustrations, range maps, fluke drawings and a few paragraphs on each species. (FG02, $20.00)