Arctic

by Bruce Parry, Huw Lewis-Jones

It's the last great wilderness--one of the least developed and most endangered regions of our planet. This full-color companion to a BBC2 series takes us on a seven-month journey around the Arctic with bestselling author Bruce Parry. Traversing Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Russia, and Scandinavia, Parry immerses himself in the lives of fishermen, oil workers, native hunters, bush pilots, miners, firefighters, and scientists--providing a human focus on the cultural and environmental upheavals that are shaking the Arctic today, and which are being felt throughout the globe.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2010

About the author

Explorer Bruce Parry is well-known for his seminal BBC2 TV series Tribe and Amazon.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book to complement the TV series. Parry has a way with people, and this is as much about the harsh way of life as it is the scenery. There are some stunning photographs in here as well.

[Snicketts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous pictures make this book a must, but I felt depressed by the end of it. Rather than a travel memoir, Parry increasingly seeks out the horrors that we are inflicting on the Arctic- corruption in Russia, the horror of the tar sands and the alcohol problems that have left Iceland's teens without direction or purpose. And all of this with the background of climate change and dwindling ice. While all these are valid concerns I felt that he dwelled more on the problems than on the cultures and ecosystems that I was hoping for. Of course, all through you get a sense of Parry's gentle humour and his yearning for spiritual connection with the place, but for me it was swamped by the overwhelming sadness of how humans have ruined everything! I still gave it four stars for the diverse locales, the one or two characters who really stood out, the photography and the little personal insights that Parry does so well.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book that accompanies the recent TV series - you gotta love Bruce Parry. Superb photography.