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North to the Horizon: Arctic Doctor and Hunter 1913-1917
117 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 19, 2023
Follows the doctor of an expedition to find an island once glimpsed by Peary in northern Canada that later turned out to not be real. The expedition was not successful, then it took the crew years to get home, due to known weather issues, obviously not a ton of travel in winter in seas that freeze solid back in the 19010s. There were other issues that popped up that stopped many members of the crew, including the doctor, from making it back to the states for years longer than it should have.
The first half of the book was just journal entries written by the doctor, and there wasn't a ton of context or background to set up the story, so it did take a bit to get acquainted with what was going on. The entries were just printed as is without comment, and were at times interesting and at other times boring and weird. The second half was a summary of the events in the last few years of the situation and were told by the doctor, and written out in standard format. This was easier to read, although eventually became pretty repetitive, consisting mostly of the dr trekking with locals towards a southern Greenland location that would allow him to catch a ship to europe, and the same events played out at each new stopping point.
This was an interesting read, and in a relatively unprocessed form, let me hear pretty unfiltered opinions from an american doctor in the 1910s. He seemed to be a quite respectful and thoughtful person, if a bit self aggrandizing of his physical prowess when compared to the local Greenlanders.
I did enjoy reading this, although I wouldn't recommend it most people. It's more a reference than a standard read. I am glad it exists, and the author took the time to make sure this work was documented.
Personal book shopper: book 1
The first half of the book was just journal entries written by the doctor, and there wasn't a ton of context or background to set up the story, so it did take a bit to get acquainted with what was going on. The entries were just printed as is without comment, and were at times interesting and at other times boring and weird. The second half was a summary of the events in the last few years of the situation and were told by the doctor, and written out in standard format. This was easier to read, although eventually became pretty repetitive, consisting mostly of the dr trekking with locals towards a southern Greenland location that would allow him to catch a ship to europe, and the same events played out at each new stopping point.
This was an interesting read, and in a relatively unprocessed form, let me hear pretty unfiltered opinions from an american doctor in the 1910s. He seemed to be a quite respectful and thoughtful person, if a bit self aggrandizing of his physical prowess when compared to the local Greenlanders.
I did enjoy reading this, although I wouldn't recommend it most people. It's more a reference than a standard read. I am glad it exists, and the author took the time to make sure this work was documented.
Personal book shopper: book 1
Displaying 1 of 1 review