A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic  •  E.C. Pielou NATURAL HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 327 PAGES A well written primer on Arctic climate, geography, plants, birds, mammals and insects in a single nicely written book. It's a highly recommended, enthusiastic guide to natural history throughout the North -- a good first choice for even the keenest naturalist. With line drawings, charts, and maps. (ARC03, $22.00)
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)