Round About the North Pole

In Short

This book serves as a geographic and historical compendium of Arctic exploration. Rather than focusing on a single expedition, it systematically moves through the various regions of the North—from Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya to the American mainland and Greenland. It traces how the search for trade routes and geographic knowledge evolved into the scientific and nationalistic efforts of the early twentieth century. The work remains a valued resource for its synthesis of diverse voyages, capturing the grueling reality of life in the ice and the relentless curiosity that drove explorers forward.

The Story

The narrative begins with the early, commercial-minded voyages. Explorers like Poole and Baffin, sent by the Muscovy Company, initially arrived in Spitsbergen not for glory, but for the lucrative harvest of whales. These early chapters depict the brutal, pragmatic nature of survival: men huddled in huts, facing cold so intense it froze their laundry solid, or battling ice that threatened to crush their ships like eggshells. The focus then shifts to the persistent, often desperate search for a northern passage to the East, a goal that remained elusive despite the immense loss of life and equipment.

As the narrative progresses, the geography of the North is slowly filled in. The book details the harrowing journeys of John Franklin and his colleagues, who pushed into the American Arctic, mapping vast stretches of the mainland. It recounts the story of the Tegetthoff, the discovery of Franz Josef Land, and the technical innovation of Nansen’s Fram, a vessel designed specifically to withstand the crushing pressure of the ice pack. The reader learns of the intense physical toll taken on these men, who often survived on meager rations and the uncertain hope of rescue.

The book does not shy away from the darker outcomes of this human endeavor. It narrates the tragic, slow starvation of Greely’s party, eventually rescued from the brink of death by a mission that arrived just in time to find the survivors in a state of horrific desperation. Yet, alongside the tragedy, the text highlights the sheer technical skill and endurance of those who mapped the coastlines and measured the inland ice.

The story culminates in the transition toward the modern era of exploration. It describes the efforts of Sverdrup and Peary, whose expeditions pushed further north than any before them, marking the limits of the known world. By the final chapters, the Arctic has been transformed from a mysterious barrier into a map of named capes, sounds, and islands. The book concludes with the understanding that while the search for a direct route or a "use" for the North was often driven by flawed economic expectations, the cumulative impact of these voyages profoundly shifted the boundaries of human knowledge and the history of the world.

How It Unfolds

Early commercial ventures The narrative establishes the Arctic as a site of early trade, detailing how whaling and the search for new markets pushed explorers into the ice of Spitsbergen. It documents the first encounters with glaciers and the harsh, unforgiving weather that defined the northern experience.

The search for the passage The focus shifts to the persistent, often failed attempts to find a way through the Arctic to the East. These accounts emphasize the extreme technical challenges, the constant threat of being ice-bound, and the recurring necessity of wintering in the dark, cold North.

The survey of the mainland The text details the systematic mapping of the American Arctic coastline and the interior. It covers the work of explorers like Mackenzie and the Hudson’s Bay Company representatives, who braved rapids, hunger, and dangerous ice to connect the scattered geographic points.

Scientific discovery and modern attempts The later sections describe the shift toward endurance-based expeditions, such as the drift of the Fram. It chronicles how specialized ship design and survival strategies eventually allowed for more extensive exploration of the high latitudes near the Pole.

The People

The figures in this book are defined by their resilience and their often-monomaniacal pursuit of the unknown. Thomas Edge and William Baffin appear as representative of the early era, men tasked with turning the hazardous Arctic environment into a profitable enterprise for the Muscovy Company. Their work is defined by the tension between exploration and the demands of their corporate sponsors.

John Franklin enters the narrative as a central, tragic figure. His voyages represent the noble, if doomed, attempt to conquer the Arctic through naval discipline and official government backing. He is contrasted with the later, more pragmatic survivors like Dr. John Rae, who demonstrated an ability to adapt to the land, living off the game and surviving conditions that killed men less prepared for the brutal realities of the North.

Adolphus Greely serves as the book's most harrowing example of the price of failure. His ordeal is described with stark, unflinching detail, highlighting the physical collapse of his party and the extraordinary efforts of Commander Winfield Schley, who led the relief expedition that pulled the few remaining survivors from their tent. Finally, figures like Nansen and Sverdrup represent the intellectual and technical apex of the era; they are depicted not just as explorers, but as designers and strategists who understood that to overcome the Arctic, one had to work with its peculiar laws rather than against them.

In Its Own Voice

"It is often asked, 'What is the use of further Arctic discovery?' No one knows. Nor did any one know the use of most discoveries before they were made."

(This reflection appears early in the book to address the skeptics of the era who questioned the value of polar exploration.)

"The fire almost cast no heat, for as we put our feet to the fire we burnt our hose before we could feel the heat, so that we had work enough to do to patch our hose."

(This passage, citing a contemporary account, illustrates the extreme, debilitating cold faced by the men during their long winters in the dark.)

What It's Really About

The book is a study of the relationship between human ambition and the limits of the natural world. It argues that the drive to reach the North Pole—or to find a way through the ice—is not merely about the destination, but about the manifestation of a restless human spirit that seeks out the unknown regardless of the potential for failure. It questions the utilitarian value of discovery, suggesting that history is shaped by efforts whose true importance is rarely apparent to those conducting them. Ultimately, the book is about the transformation of a void into a map, showing how the accumulated, often painful efforts of individuals slowly knit the corners of the globe into the collective human consciousness.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate the grit of classic exploration literature will find much to admire here. The narrative is unvarnished; it captures the cold, the hunger, and the strange, quiet beauty of the ice with a precision that makes the past feel immediate. You will experience the claustrophobia of a ship trapped in a pack and the vast, alien stillness of the Arctic winter.

However, prospective readers should be prepared for the dense, encyclopedic structure. The book is organized by region rather than a strict chronological timeline, which can occasionally make the narrative flow feel episodic. It also reflects the period in which it was written (1907); the author writes with the confident, sometimes detached tone of a man documenting the triumph of Western exploration, and his descriptions of indigenous peoples and their customs are shaped by the perspectives of his time. If you can navigate these dated attitudes, you will be rewarded with a deeply researched, deeply human portrait of a world that has since changed drastically. It is a slow, methodical read that demands patience, but it offers a profound sense of the scale of the Arctic and the stubborn, fragile nature of those who dared to call it home.