Across Arctic America: Narrative of the Fifth Thule Expedition (Classic Reprint Series (Univ of Alaska Pr), No 6)

Across Arctic America: Narrative of the Fifth Thule Expedition (Classic Reprint Series (Univ of Alaska Pr), No 6)
by Knud Rasmussen

Across Arctic America: Narrative of the Fifth Thule Expedition (Classic Reprint Series (Univ of Alaska Pr), No 6)
Our Price: $226.43
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Knud Rasmussen
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1999-02-01
ISBN: 0912006935
Number of pages: 415
Publisher: University of Alaska Press

Book Reviews of Across Arctic America: Narrative of the Fifth Thule Expedition (Classic Reprint Series (Univ of Alaska Pr), No 6)

Book Review: Classic of polar literature
Summary: 5 Stars

Knud Rasmussen was a native Greenlander who was half Inuit and half Danish. He was the first person to travel the Northwest Passage by dog-sled, around 1922, as re-told in this readable and enjoyable account first published in 1927. Known as the "Fifth Thule Expedition", it was designed to be an ethnographic expedition to answer "that great question the origins of the Eskimo race". A native speaker of Inuit, Rasmussen's insights into the religion and inner-life, voice and spirit of the Inuit remains a classic of polar travel literature and ethnography. The Inuit language is difficult to translate and Rasmussen's unique position of straddling both cultures proves indispensable.

Rasmussen traveled with two Inuit who had never before left Greenland. On the return trip home by plane, the group stopped in New York City and were awed by what they saw. One said while looking over the city skyline from a rooftop: "I see things more than my mind can grasp; and the only way to save myself from madness is to suppose that we have all died, and that this is part of another life." An Inuit Shaman revealed to Rasmussen "All true wisdom is only to be found far from the dwellings of men, in the great solitudes; and it can only be obtained through suffering. Suffering and privation are the only things that can open the mind of man to that which is hidden from his fellows."

An Inuit-produced film 'The Journals of Knud Rasmussen' (2006) was recently made based on the book, produced by the same people who made 'The Fast Runner' (2001), which has been called one of the 10 best Canadian films. This book is pretty rare in first editions going for $50-$100 in the used market. A re-issue was made in 1999, still in print. See also the books by Peter Freuchan for accounts of this journey and others he took with Rasmussen.

Polar Regions Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Polar Regions Books
A Brief History of the Vikings: The Last Pagans or the First Modern Europeans? (Brief History Series) ImageA Brief History of the Vikings: The Last Pagans or the First Modern Europeans? (Brief History Series)
by Jonathan Clements
Running Press; Published: 2005-10-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.94
Price in other shops: $14.95
Escape from the Ice: Shackleton and the Endurance (Hello Reader Level 4) ImageEscape from the Ice: Shackleton and the Endurance (Hello Reader Level 4)
by Connie Roop, Peter Roop
Scholastic; Published: 2001-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.00
Price in other shops: $3.99
The Crystal Desert: Summers in Antarctica ImageThe Crystal Desert: Summers in Antarctica
by David G. Campbell
Mariner Books; Published: 2002-05-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.53
Price in other shops: $14.95
Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic ImageAda Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic
by Jennifer Niven
Hyperion; Published: 2004-11-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.24
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Last Place on Earth (Modern Library Exploration) ImageThe Last Place on Earth (Modern Library Exploration)
by Roland Huntford
Modern Library; Published: 1999-09-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.69
Price in other shops: $15.95
Endurance: An Epic of Polar Adventure ImageEndurance: An Epic of Polar Adventure
by Frank Arthur Worsley, F.A. Worsley, Patrick O'Brian
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2000-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.11
Price in other shops: $13.95
The Ice Diaries: The True Story of One of Mankind's Greatest Adventures ImageThe Ice Diaries: The True Story of One of Mankind's Greatest Adventures
by Captain William R. Anderson
Thomas Nelson; Published: 2008-07-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops: $24.99
The Worst Journey in the World (Penguin Classics) ImageThe Worst Journey in the World (Penguin Classics)
by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Penguin Classics; Published: 2006-02-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.14
Price in other shops: $18.00
The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition ImageThe Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
by Caroline Alexander
Knopf; Published: 1998-11-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.39
Price in other shops: $29.95
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage ImageEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
by Alfred Lansing
Basic Books; Published: 1999-03-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.45
Price in other shops: $14.95
Similar Books and other products
N by E ImageN by E
by Rockwell Kent
Wesleyan; Published: 1996-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.54
Price in other shops: $19.95
Farthest North (Modern Library Exploration) ImageFarthest North (Modern Library Exploration)
by Fridjtof Nansen
Modern Library; Published: 1999-08-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.06
Price in other shops: $27.00
A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic ImageA Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic
by E. C. Pielou
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 1995-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops: $22.00
The Journals of Knud Rasmussen (Original Inuktitut Version - With English Subtitles) ImageThe Journals of Knud Rasmussen (Original Inuktitut Version - With English Subtitles)
DVD
Best price: $29.99
Greenland Map by ITMB ImageGreenland Map by ITMB
by ITMB Publishing
ITMB Publishing; Published: 2004-10-01; Map; Book
Best price: $7.46
Price in other shops: $10.95
The First Crossing of Greenland ImageThe First Crossing of Greenland
by Fridtjof Nansen
Interlink Publishing Group; Published: 2003-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.53
Price in other shops: $19.95
Salamina ImageSalamina
by Rockwell Kent
Wesleyan; Published: 2003-10-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops: $22.95
Greenland & The Arctic (Lonely Planet Travel Guides) ImageGreenland & The Arctic (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)
by Etain O'Carroll, Mark Elliott
Lonely Planet; Published: 2005-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.25
Price in other shops: $26.99
Arctic Adventure: My Life in the Frozen North ImageArctic Adventure: My Life in the Frozen North
by Peter Freuchen
The Lyons Press; Published: 2002-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.00
This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland ImageThis Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland
by Gretel Ehrlich
Vintage; Published: 2003-01-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.84
Price in other shops: $14.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories