abi’s Reviews > The Last Imaginary Place: A Human History of the Arctic World > Status Update

‘the arctic of exploration accounts, of missionary literature and of the travel writers who have provided us all with images of a distant land frozen in time, the imaginary arctic, is a very resilient fantasy even when confronted directly with reality.’

this description of walrus hunting is horrific

‘the achievements of arctic explorers are best appreciated in the realization that they were not accomplished in an atmosphere of superhuman competence, but rather in the muddle of frailties and ambitions and failure that characterize most other aspects of human activity.’