The North Pole: The History of an Obsession

(Hardback)

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The epic, multi-millennia story of humanity's obsession with the North Pole, from Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge who travelled there in 1990 Throughout recorded human time, few places on Earth have inspired as much fascination as the North Pole. This is an otherworldly place with no longitude, a place where the sun rises and stays aloft for six whole months before setting, plunging the expanse of ice and water into darkness for half a year. Foot-stepping alongside Erling Kagge, who ventured to the North Pole in the spring of 1990, we hear the story of the North Pole as never told before. From Herodotus who first wondered what the northernmost point of our planet might be like, to the intrepid early cartographers who mapped the world, and the legendary expeditions led by Fridtjof Nansen and Robert Peary - the first polar explorer global celebrities - who were in the grip of a dangerous obsession to get to the North Pole first. What emerges is an epic new history of the world, spanning thousands of years, as seen from the sublime 'silver-shining vacantness' of the North Pole. Blending crystalline memories from Kagge's own 1990 trip, The North Pole is an adventure story, a book about survival, about difficult fathers and their difficult sons, and a psychological record of what it means to keep putting one foot in front of the other in the face of adversity. It is for anyone who's gazed out at the horizon - and wondered what happens if you just keep walking.

Reviews

Erling Kagges decades-long obsession with the North Pole has produced an extraordinary book that defies genre: an elegant travel account, a learned history and a psychological thriller wrapped in one -- Anne Applebaum
Erling Kagge is a deeply thoughtful writer who has a strong and very individual style. The North Pole proves to be the perfect subject for him -- Michael Palin
A beautiful book which is as much about our inner world as our outer one, a book that helps us find the vast calm empty spaces within us and returns us to a feeling of being at home in the world -- Alain de Botton
A wonderful book about the sublime, eerie place known as the North Pole. A place that has doubled as a fertile dreamscape as much as a hard, inhospitable landscape for human beings over the centuries. This is the book of a lifetime, from a rare writer-adventurer whose obsession and passion for his subject knows no bounds -- Elif Shafak
Erling Kagge charts a wondrous way to the North Pole, exploring the marvel and complexity of a place that exists both in reality and in our symbolic imagination. A fascinating and richly detailed book -- Paul Lynch, Booker Prize-winning author of Prophet Song
It's impossible to read Erling Kagge and not fall in love with the North Pole. His enthusiasm is infectious and his adventures are epic -- Elizabeth Kolbert
The North Pole is an enchanting pursuit of a place that lies both far away at the top of our planet and deep within us all -- Peter Moore
Its rare to find an author and a subject so perfectly matched . . . This book is full of extraordinary stories and wisdom earned through hard experience. Think ahead, travel light, and leave your fears behind you," one explorer advises. Much like the place itself, The North Pole is memorable, inspiring, unsettling, and poetic -- Eric Schlosser
A dazzling book - soulful, awe-inspiring, and deeply thought-provoking. Erling Kagge takes readers on a journey theyll never forget -- Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize-winning author ofKing: A Life
A philosophical adventurer or perhaps an adventurous philosopher * New York Times *
As an explorer Erling Kagge is world class; as a writer he is equally gifted -- Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Exhilaratingly epic -- dg nanouk okpik

Author Bio

Erling Kagge is a Norwegian explorer who was the first in history to reach the 'three poles' - North, South and the summit of Everest. He now lives in Oslo where he runs a publishing house. He is the author of multiple books, including Silence, which is published in 38 languages, and Walking.