Northern Lights: A History of the Arctic Scots

by Edward J. Cowan

In the tradition of Arthur Herman’s How the Scots Invented the Modern World comes a narrative that charts the remarkable—yet often overlooked or misidentified—Scottish contribution to Arctic exploration

The search for the Northwest Passage is filled with stories of tragedy, adventure, courage, and endurance. It was one of the great maritime challenges of the era. It was not until the 1850’s that the first one-way partial transit of the passage was made. Previous attempts had all failed, and some, like the ill-fated attempted by Sir John Franklin in 1845 ended in tragedy with the loss of the entire expedition, which was comprised of two ships and 129 men.

Northern Lights reveals Scotland’s previously unsung role in the remarkable history of Arctic exploration. There was the intrepid John Ross, an eccentric hell-raiser from Stranraer and a veteran of three Arctic expeditions; his nephew, James Clark Ross, the most experienced explorer of his generation and discoverer of the Magnetic North Pole; Dr. John Richardson of Dumfries, who became an accidental cannibal and deliberate executionaer of a murderer as well as an engaging natural historian; and Orcadian John Rae, the man who first discovered evidence of Sir John Franklin and his crew’s demise.

Northern Lights also pays tribute and reveals other overlooked stories in this fascinating era of the Scotch Irish, the whalers, and especially the Inuit, whose unparalleled knowledge of the Arctic environment was often indispensible.

For anyone fascinated by Scottish history or hungry for tales of Arctic adventure, Northern Lights is a vivid new addition to the rich tradition of polar narratives.

Genres: History

432 pages, Hardcover

Published September 5, 2023

Reviews

[Elizabeth Judd Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting book, marked down from 4 stars to 3 because it doesn’t feel truly fully written—and yes, I know, the author died after writing just a draft. His wife did a good job of getting it ready for publication, I just feel that parts would have been moved about or written differently in a final draft. However: lots of good information, and I enjoyed it.

[James Empson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my. A struggle. Appreciate that the author had not completed the work, but the lack of structure, chronological geographical or by individual explorer makes for difficult reading by the uninitiated (like myself). That said, much of the data is fascinating in its way as these Scotsmen individuals attempted to explore what was and is a very unforgiving and little known (beyond its native inhabitants) part of the planet.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As regular readers will know, I am obsessed with doomed Arctic explorations. Not all of them were entirely doomed, of course, but they rarely went smoothly. This book is a great introduction to some of the more colorful characters and their exploits.

My review: https://www.mwgerard.com/books-for-fe...

[Katie Kvochick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting read about the arctic explorations of the 1800’s. Elaborating on the history, environment, Inuit, the crews, politics, ups, and downs. I learned so much. Well done!