Allure of the Ice Floes

In his book Landscape and Memory, historian Simon Schama contends that notions of place can be informed as much by mythology, literature and artistic convention as by everyday details of history and geography. In terms of the Arctic—a part of the world so often known only through second-hand portrayals—Schama’s hypothesis is particularly relevant. Even for a northern people such as Canadians, perceptions of the North are typically limited to little more than iconic landscapes and unforgettable stories of exploration.

During the last few years, several Canadian biographies have highlighted the more memorable of these stories, and there is no sign the publishing phenomenon is on the wane. What its critics refer to as highbrow escapism will remain an attractive formula, as long as its practitioners can keep mining the wealth of exploration sagas to produce page-turners. On this score, the author of The Man Who Mapped the Arctic: The Intrepid Life of George...