The Northeast Passage From the Vikings to Nordenskiöld
58: John Nurminen Foundation, 1992. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Text in English. 287 pp. Rubbing and Scratching on the dust jacket. Edgewear on the covers and jacket. Inscription on the fly-leaf.
The Northeast Passage, the sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, has captured men's imaginations throughout the ages, It was believed that the route through Siberian waters was a short cut to the riches of China, though the sailing conditions were in fact insuperably difficult. Seafarers put their lives at stake when they embarked for the icy Arctic Ocean in their little sailing vessels,' either for abundant catches or in the hope of discovering new lands.
The Arctic regions were still but little known in the mid-19th century. The task of increasing knowledge entailed hardship and suffering such as we cannot easily imagine in this era of icebreakers, airplanes and satellites. The history of Arctic exploration is a fascinating tale of man's struggle to expand his environment, It is both geographical history and the history of seafaring and methods of sailing.
This book gathers together our knowledge of seafaring and charting in northern seas from early days to the end of the 19th century. In addition to richly illustrated articles by experts, a rare selection of maps of the same periods has been assembled showing the development of the picture of the Northeast Passage given by maps.
The Northeast Passage book is a diverse package of information, in which the bulk of the mapping material is taken from A.E. Nordenskiold's world-famous map collection in the Helsinki University Library. In 1878 80 the Finnish-born Nordenskiöld was the first explorer ever to sail through the Northeast Passage, and he enriched our knowledge of Arctic conditions in many other ways. The book is an act of homage to his lifework. Very Good / Very Good. Item #3405
ISBN: 9529745028
Price: $100.00