This book is a collection of short vignettes from scholars and artists who participated in a symposium hosted at the Open University and the British Library to commemorate the International Polar Year (in 2007-08). The vignettes present different scholarly research and artistic explorations about/around the Arctic and Antarctic region. This book was a gift to me from a Swedish colleague to help me better acquaint myself with my new home in the Swedish sub-Arctic. As a material object, the book is beautiful, and it served as the perfect introduction to prevailing issues in the region by many important thinkers and creators.