Agassiz, A Novel in Stories  •  Sandra Birdsell  •  R.W. Scholes LITERATURE •  1991 •  HARD COVER  • 346 PAGES Through 23 interlocking short stories set in one town in Manitoba, Canadian novelist Birdsell weaves a novel that spans several generations of the Lafreniere family. You'll meet Maurice and his Russian Mennonite wife Mika, their three oldest daughters and a host of other characters. The focus is on the three daughters as they come of age in the 1950s and 60s. (CND55, $14.95)
Arctic Wildlife Nature Activity Book  •  James Kavanagh NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES An informative and entertaining book of games, facts and quizzes about animals and natural history for kids, published by the Pocket Naturalist series. (ARC171, $6.95)
Aurora  •  Candace Savage SCIENCE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES Savage unveils the mystery of the Northern Lights in this wonderfully illustrated account of how they have appeared to people throughout the ages. The color photographs alone make this book worthwhile. (ARC106, $19.95)
Aurora: The Northern Lights in Mythology, History and Science  •  Torbjorn Lovgren  •  Harald Falck Ytter SCIENCE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES • COMING IN An account of the history, folklore and science of the Northern Lights from their mythological importance, to Aristotle, and modern scientific understanding. Features some lovely illustrations. (ARC105, $19.95)
Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance  •  Stephen Herrero NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES Despite its frightening title, this book is a helpful introduction to the natural history and behavior of the bear by a long-term researcher in the field. With useful tips on "avoidance." Revised edition. (BST21, $16.95)
The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife  •  Christopher W. Leahy  •  Gordon Morrison NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 1072 PAGES A handsome, fully illustrated survey of the birds of North America, organized A to Z, covering birds, bird biology, conservation and birdwatching. Published in cooperation with the American Birding Association. (NAM21, $19.95)
The Cage  •  Audrey Schulman LITERATURE •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 228 PAGES • COMING IN Set in Churchill and out in the wilderness on a tundra buggy, this haunting short novel is a tale of adventure, capturing the sights and feel of the Arctic. In it a young female nature photographer sets out on an expedition to study polar bears with three oh-so-male companions. Be warned, the book can be graphic at times, but it's a real page-turner. An American Library Association Notable Book (ARC39, $17.95)
Canada Map  •  Map Art Maps MAP A folded, color map of all Canada at a scale of 1:4,500,000. It's better than most, and at an unbeatable price. (CND15, $4.95)
Canada: A People's History, Volume 1  •  Don Gillmor  •  Pierre Turgeon HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES An illustrated history of Canada from a distinctly Canadian perspective, soliciting expert accounts of seminal events. This, the first of two volumes, covers from early exploration to the dawn of the industrial age in the late 19th century. Volume 2 is also available (CND161). (CND160, $60.00)
Canada: A People's History, Volume 2  •  Don Gillmor  •  Pierre Turgeon HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES An illustrated history of Canada from a distinctly Canadian perspective, soliciting expert accounts of seminal events. This, the second of two volumes, covers from the late 19th century to today. Volume 1 is also available (CND160). (CND161, $60.00)
Cook and Peary, The Polar Controversy Resolved  •  Robert M. Bryce EXPLORATION •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 1152 PAGES A massive and massively detailed book, the most thorough examination yet of Peary and Cook's competing claims to have been the first-ever at the North Pole. Not surprisingly, Bryce chimes in with other scholars in concluding, "well, probably neither." It's may not be definitive but the book is long, marshals much evidence and is fascinating in its detail. Setting aside the controversy, it's also a good biography of the two explorers and their contemporaries. With 125 photographs, maps and many, many footnotes. (ARC44, $50.00)
Drawing Shadows to Stone  •  Laurel Kendall CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  PAPER  • 112 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE Featuring 83 photographs, this book is a record of the 1897 American Museum of Natural History expedition to Alaska and Siberia under Franz Boas. It illuminates the anthropology of peoples on both sides of Bering Strait. (ARC34, $22.50)
Empire of the Bay, The Company of Adventurers That Seized a Continent  •  Peter C. Newman HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 646 PAGES • COMING IN A big lively history of Hudson's Bay Company, the enormous fur trading organization that controlled and explored much of the Canadian wilderness in the 18th and 19th centuries. Originally published in two volumes: "Company of Adventurers" and "Caesars of the Wilderness," this book is well worth the effort. (CND78, $16.00)
Eskimo Year  •  George Sutton CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1996 •  HARD COVER • COMING IN Early adventures among the people, birds and wildlife of remote South Hampton Island -- "a nineteen-thousand-square-mile heap of rock that sprawls almost across the mouth of Hudson Bay." Sutton's account of a year among the Aivilikmiut, the walrus-hunting Eskimos in the 1930s, is full of enthusiasm, warmth and vivid detail of people and place. Along the way we learn a great deal about High Arctic birds and their biology. Illustrations based on the author's photographs and line drawings. (ARC04, $24.95)
Farthest North  •  Fridtjof Nansen EXPLORATION •  2008 •  PAPER  • 687 PAGES The great Norwegian explorer Fridjof Nansen recounts his adventures in the Arctic in this classic memoir, originally published in 1897. He describes the design and building of his ingenious ship, the "Fram" (which is still on display in Oslo), his drift across the icy wasteland, his six-month-long sledge journey with Johansen (where they reached farthest north before turning back), and his final dash across the ice floes to Franz Joseph Land, where they overwintered before being picked up by a passing British expedition. It's quite a tale, illustrated with maps and photographs. (ARC60, $17.95)
Farthest North, A History of North Polar Exploration in Eyewitness Accounts  •  Clive Holland EXPLORATION •  1999 •  PAPER  • 301 PAGES An anthology of eyewitness accounts, this book excerpts the memoirs and adventure tales of Peary, Franklin, de Long, Nansen and other great polar explorers in search of the North Pole. Archivist at Scott Polar Research Institute, Clive Holland draws on the rich literature of polar exploration, well known and obscure, to weave a masterful story of courage and folly in the cold. (ARC55, $12.95)
The Flight of the Red Knot  •  Brian Harrington NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 240 PAGES Subtitled "A Natural History Account of a Small Bird's Annual Migration From the Arctic Circle to the Tip of South America and Back," this fascinating book tells the epic story of a small sandpiper (so named for its salmon color during the breeding season). Harrington and free-lance writer Charles Flowers folow the fate of the bird, which migrate each year 18,000 miles between Brazil and Hudson Bay. (GEN67, $29.95)
Frozen in Time, The Fate of the Franklin Expedition  •  Owen Beattie  •  John Geiger EXPLORATION •  2004 •  PAPER  • 185 PAGES An exhaustive examination of the evidence surrounding the disappearance of the Franklin Expedition, including rather lurid photographs of the frozen bodies of three sailors buried on Beechy Island and exhumed by the authors in the quest to discover what really happened. Beattie and Geiger, a forensic anthropologist and historian, build a credible tale of the disappearance of Sir John and his 129 men. (ARC81, $22.95)
The Future of Ice, A Journey into Cold  •  Gretel Ehrlich EXPLORATION •  2005 •  PAPER  • 200 PAGES The marvelous Ehrlich (This Cold Heaven, Seven Seasons in Greenland) continues her fascination with out-of-the-way -- and cold -- places with this impressionistic account of journeys to the ends of the earth, encompassing deserts, tundra and mountains from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic Circle. The longest chapters are set in Patagonia and Spitsbergen but the book is not so much about place as the experience of cold. (ANT215, $13.95)
Handbook of North American Indians: Arctic  •  David Damas REFERENCE •  1984 •  HARD COVER  • 829 PAGES The definitive reference on native peoples of the Arctic, one of the Smithsonian's fine series on North American Indians. Authoritative and somewhat academic, it's a terrific book for your library. Widely illustrated with photographs and drawings. (ARC15, $52.00)
The Ice Museum, In Search of the Lost Land of Thule  •  Joanna Kavenna SCIENCE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Enchanting, literary, personal, Kavenna's erudite account of her travels from Norway to Shetland, Iceland, Estonia, Greenland and Spitsbergen on a quest to discover the meaning (if not the location) of Thule, the Arctic Netherlands described by the Greek navigator Pytheas in the 4th-century B.C. (ARC175, $15.00)
The Idea of North  •  Peter Davidson CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2004 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A meditation on the concept of northerly places, which draws upon the writings of Nabokov, Auden and others, as well as mythology, films and visual art. Davidson explores Nordic Renaisssance winter paintings, German Romantic landscapes, Scandinavian Biedermeyer and 20th-century prints, taking in the work of artists as varied as Andy Goldsworthy, Eric Ravilious and Ian Hamilton Finlay and writers including W. H. Auden, Cecil Day-Lewis and John Buchan. He ends with a consideration of Iceland, called by Auden and McNeice in 1936 as "furthest, most remote, most distant, most northerly." (ARC159, $27.00)
The Illustrated History of Canada  •  Craig Brown HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 626 PAGES A good, nicely illustrated history of Canada, featuring contributions by six Canadian historians, along with hundreds of engravings, maps, photographs and illustrations. It's a well-edited, lively overview of the nation from initial European contact to the post-war years. Desmond Morton contributed the chapter covering 1945-2000. Fifth edition (CND19, $32.95)
Insight Guide Canada  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 356 PAGES A volume in the award-winning Insight series, this guide is noted for its wonderful photography, superb production and informative short essays. It is a thoroughly illustrated, comprehensive guide to the history and culture of Canada. (CND42, $23.95)
Inuit Art, An Introduction  •  Ingo Hessel  •  Dieter Hessel ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 198 PAGES A history, survey and guide to appreciating Inuit drawings, prints, textiles and sculpture with 125 color photographs. Ingo Hessel, a carver himself, was a project officer at the Canadian Inuit Art Information Centre. Originally published in hardcover in 1998. (ARC142, $35.00)
The Last Spike, The Great Railway, 1881-1885  •  Pierre Berton HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 496 PAGES Part two in Berton's exhilarating narrative of the boldest project in Canadian history, the building of the transcontinental railroad. Berton, arguably the country's greatest historian, focuses on personalities and politics, drawing from a multitude of historical documents. The first volume is "The National Dream" (CND178). (CND179, $24.95)
Lonely Planet Canada  •  Mark Lightbody  •  Thomas Huhti  •  Ryan Ver Berkmoes GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 928 PAGES Now in its 7th edition and almost 1000 pages long, this practical guide to Canada is the most comprehensive available. With information on all the provinces, including Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, it is perfect for travelers visiting multiple Canadian destinations, or some of the less traveled regions. It contains 100 maps and a great deal of practical information on accommodations, outdoor adventuring and cultural attractions. (CND54, $26.99)
Mammals of North America  •  Roland W. Kays  •  Don E. Wilson FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A comprehensive guide by two noted mammalogists and featuring 108 color plates, illustrating 442 species. Range maps and descriptive text on ecology, habitat and behavior complement the wonderful paintings. (NAM11, $19.95)
Mammals of North America, Temperate and Arctic Regions  •  Adrian Forsyth NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A handsome, illustrated reference to the mammals of North America from polar bears to bison, mountain lions and the black squirrel. Forsyth ("Tropical Nature"), includes not only up-to-date information on taxonomy and distribution but also discusses the behavior and ecology of each species. With range maps and hundreds of color photogrpahs. (NAM02, $29.95)
Manitoba Map  •  Rand McNally Maps MAP A map of the Canadian province of Manitoba, at a scale of 1:1,000,000. (CND51, $4.95)
Midnight Sun  •  Lawrence Osgood LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 300 PAGES A novel about the eerie intertwining lives of the people of the town of Poniktuk, a small village on the Beaufort Sea. (ARC170, $16.95)
Moose  •  Valerius Geist  •  Michael H. Francis NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES A natural history of the moose, by one of the leading authorities, Valerius Geist. Their migration, social interactions and mating rituals are all covered, along with issues concerning their natural habitats and conservation. The informative text is complemented by wonderful color photographs. (BST56, $21.95)
N by E  •  Rockwell Kent  •  Edward Hoagland EXPLORATION •  1996 •  PAPER  • 282 PAGES A journal of adventure, illustrated with wood-block prints by the author on every other page, this is Kent's lively account of seafaring, adventure and the Arctic, originally published in 1930 in a limited edition. The account of a sailing trip from Labrador, the book culminates with Kent and his party stranded in Greenland. (ARC35, $19.95)
The National Dream, The Great Railway, 1871 to 1881  •  Pierre Berton HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 456 PAGES An exhilarating narrative of the boldest project in Canadian history, the building of the transcontinental railroad. Berton, arguably the country's greatest historian, focuses on personalities and politics, drawing from a multitude of historical documents. The first of two parts, this book follows the railway from idea to the beginning of construction. Part two, "The Last Spike" (CND179), is also available. (CND178, $24.95)
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America  •  National Geographic FIELD GUIDE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 502 PAGES From Alaska to Baja California, this field guide published by the National Geographic Society, now in its fifth edition (with tabs!), is the one to carry. Practical to use in the field, it has maps, illustrations and descriptions of the birds on facing pages. The scale of the maps changes with the range of the bird, which means you get a more detailed regional map for those birds with a restricted range. This fully revised fifth edition features nearly 700 color range maps, bigger and better than ever. (FG09, $24.00)
Never Cry Wolf  •  Farley Mowat LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 246 PAGES • FAVORITE A laugh-out-loud funny account of wolf research and government folly set on the barren lands of northern Manitoba. Mowat, a Canadian national treasure, based the book on his own experiences as a wildlife biologist. It's our favorite of his many books. (BST34, $12.99)
Ninety Degrees North, The Quest for the North Pole  •  Fergus Fleming EXPLORATION •  2003 •  PAPER  • 496 PAGES A thrilling, artfully told chronicle of the mostly 19th-century adventurers, madmen and explorers who quested after the North Pole. A marvelous storyteller, Fergus (who also wrote Barrow's Boys and Killing Dragons) interweaves journal excerpts with his own account of the often fateful exploits of Robert Peary, Frederick Cook. Elisha Kent Kane and other Arctic explorers. Though all the starvation, cold, braggadocio and lies, Fleming communicates with grace, clarity and wit the magnetic attraction of what historian Pierre Berton has called the Arctic Grail. (ARC124, $15.00)
No Man's River  •  Farley Mowat BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2005 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Mowat's account of his early experiences as a biologist in Manitoba after World War II, particularly his life among the hard-pressed Metis trappers of Windy Point. A Canadian National Treasure and famous gadfly, Mowat has written almost 40 books mostly set in Newfoundland and the Canadian North. (ARC157, $14.95)
North Circumpolar Region  •  Canada Map Office MAP A bird's-eye view of the top of the world, showing the Arctic Ocean and all the lands of the far north, including the Canadian Arctic, Alaska, Siberia, Northern Europe, and Greenland. At a scale of 1:10,000,000. (ARC16, $19.95)
The North Pole, A Narrative History  •  Anthony Brandt ANTHOLOGY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 413 PAGES Anthony Brandt samples the literature of exploration for this anthology in the series by National Geographic. Organized chronologically, the book is divided into three parts: early exploration; the quest for the Northwest Passage; and North Pole journeys. Brandt includes selections by William Scoresby, John Ross, John franklin, Elisha Kent Kane, Charles Francis Hall, Adolphus Greely, Fridjof Nansen, Frederick Cook, Robert Peary and more. Each seledction is 10-20 pages. (ARC155, $15.00)
North Pole, South Pole, Journeys to the Ends of the Earth  •  Bertrand Imbert EXPLORATION •  1992 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES • COMING IN An indispensable reference that fits in your pocket. Part of the lavishly illustrated "Discoveries" series, this compact introduction to polar exploration features hundreds of maps, historic photographs and journal excerpts. With at least a few paragraphs on each of the great expeditions, we refer to it often. (ANT02, $12.95)
Paddle to the Arctic  •  Don Starkell EXPLORATION •  2001 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Not simply the story of a man in a kayak, this diary of a 3,000-mile journey from Churchill to Tuktoyaktut captures the challenges of the Northwest Passage, from wildlife to weather. This is the same man who ten years before had paddled from Winnipeg to the Amazon. (ARC26, $15.95)
Polar Bears  •  Nikita Ovskynikov NATURAL HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 72 PAGES An illustrated account of polar bears, which draws heavily on the author's research on Wrangel Island. (ARC57, $17.95)
Polar Bears, Living with the White Bear  •  Nikita Ovskynikov NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES • COMING IN Ovsyanikov chronicles his four years living among the white bears, discussing behavior and offering insight into Arctic research at Wrangel Island in the Russian Arctic. (ARC51, $19.95)
Polar Explorers for Kids  •  Maxine Snowden EXPLORATION •  2004 •  PAPER  • 150 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) The history and adventures of 16 polar explorers, including Erik the Red, Henry Hudson, Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen, Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, are brought to life in 21 puzzles, games, projects and activities for kids ages 9 and up. With black-and-white photographs, informative sidebars and maps. (ARC191, $16.95)
The Presence of Whales, Contemporary Writers on the Whale  •  Frank Stewart NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 319 PAGES In this well chosen series of essays, some of our best modern writers enlighten and entertain on the subject of whales. In addition to a number of reports from the Pacific Northwest, the collection includes a Roger Payne piece on the humpback, Diane Ackerman's essay on the right whales of Patagonia and Barry Lopez's extraordinary thoughts on the narwhal. (BST02, $15.95)
The Road Past Altamont  •  Gabrielle Roy  •  Joyce Marshall LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 154 PAGES Often compared to Willa Cather, Gabrielle Roy (1909-1983) here depicts a young girl's world through four interconnected stories that ultimately trace her coming of age. Set in the expansive Canadian wilderness of Manitoba, the fictitious story of French-Canadian Christine reflects Roy's own childhood growing up on the Canadian prairie. Originally published in 1966. (CND57, $7.95)
Seals and Sea Lions of the World  •  Nigel Bonner FIELD GUIDE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 224 PAGES An accessible, comprehensive overview of the pinnipeds. With wit and grace, Bonner outlines the evolutionary history, biology and ecology and behavior of seals, sea lions and walruses. Five chapters are devoted to a species-by-species account, superbly illustrated. The last chapters tackle the complex and sometimes controversial issues of the relationship of seals and humans. (FG05, $35.00)
Silent Snow, The Slow Poisoning of the Arctic  •  Marla Cone NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Eloquently written, Cone's report from the Arctic is a work of both scientific and literary merit. On a journey intended to investigate the deteriorating Arctic environment, Cone travels across the northern region and makes several surprising discoveries about the dangers of pollution and how toxic chemicals from around the world end up contaminating the Arctic. (ARC181, $14.00)
Smithsonian Handbook: Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises  •  Mark Carwardine FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES In the trademark, graphic Eyewitness style, this sturdy guidebook colorfully describes the world's cetaceans with numerous illustrations, range maps, fluke drawings and a few paragraphs on each species. (FG02, $20.00)
Stolen Continents, 500 Years of Conquest and Resistance in the Americas  •  Ronald Wright HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES A powerful history of imperialism and resistance in the Americas, with a focus on the Aztec, Maya, Inca, Cherokee and Iroquois. Wright's illuminating account, told largely from the point of view of the losers, details the rapid collapse of cultures and societies in the Americas following the arrival of the Europeans in 1492. Wright draws on an impressive range of archival material in reconstructing this classic account, originally published in 1993. Wright is also the author of Time Among the Maya. (NAM20, $17.00)
The Thrall's Tale  •  Judith Lindbergh LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES Set in Greenland during Viking times, this historical novel follows the fate of three women at the beginning of the Christian era. Inspired by the Norse sagas, this sprawling historical novel is the result of ten years of research by Lindbergh (including a trip to Greenland in the footsteps of Erik the Red). (ARC174, $15.00)
A Traveller's History of Canada  •  Robert Bothwell HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES An admirably concise march through Canadian history by Robert Bothwell, who has also written "Canada and Quebec: One Country, Two Histories." Compact, easy-to-read and covering from prehistoric times to today, it's a useful introduction to the country, designed specifically for travelers. (CND82, $14.95)
True North: Peary, Cook, and the Race to the Pole  •  Bruce Henderson EXPLORATION •  2006 •  PAPER  • 331 PAGES A brief account the controversy, bitter rivalry and competing claims between Robert Peary and Frederick Cook. By the author of Fatal North: Adventure and Survival Aboard USS Polaris, the First US Expedition to the North Pole. (ARC158, $24.95)
The Voyage of the Narwhal  •  Andrea Barrett EXPLORATION •  1999 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES National Book Award-winning author Andrea Barrett once again demonstrates her mastery of historical detail in this latest novel. Her evocative descriptions of the ice, tundra and 19th-century Arctic voyages are effectively tied to a great story: the tale of a Philadelphia naturalist not-coincidentally named Erasmus Darwin Wells who sets out on a foolhardy mission to the Canadian Arctic in search of the lost Franklin Expedition. With maps and illustrations, this could be a memoir instead of a gripping work of historical imagination. (ARC40, $14.00)
Voyage to the North Star  •  Peter Nichols LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A gripping tale of an Arctic expedition aboard a too-luxurious yacht commanded by a millionaire with more ego than sense. By the author of "Sea Change," a best-selling memoir of a trans-Atlantic crossing, Nicols evokes the Arctic and life aboard ship in convincing detail. He's a terrific story teller. Inspired by Nichol's reading of Richard Sutton's 1930's Arctic Safari. (ARC56, $16.00)
The World of the Polar Bear  •  Norbert Rosing  •  Ian Stirling NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 204 PAGES • NEW Norbert Rosing provides all new photography for this second edition of his sumptuous and informative volume showcasing not only the photogenic bears and their cubs but also the sly Arctic fox, sleek seals, ungainly walruses, myriad seabirds and glimmering aurora borealis. Accompanying essays describe life in Churchill and the author's own experiences traveling and working in the Hudson Bay. (ARC50, $45.00)