Northern Lights

A History of the Arctic Scots

Edward J. Cowan

• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN: 9781639362714
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Modern British History
• Index: History

In the tradition of Arthur Herman's How the Scots Invented the Modern World comes a narrative that charts the remarkable—yet often overlooked or misidentified—Scottish contribution to Arctic exploration The search for the Northwest Passage isfilledwith stories of tragedy, adventure, courage, and endurance. It was one of the great maritime challenges of the era. It was not until the 1850's that the first one-way partial transit of the passage was made. Previous attempts had all failed, and some, like the ill-fated attempted by Sir John Franklin in 1845 ended in tragedy with the loss of the entire expedition, which was comprised of two ships and 129 men. Northern Lights reveals Scotland's previously unsung role in the remarkable history of Arctic exploration. There was the intrepid John Ross, an eccentric hell-raiser from Stranraer and a veteran of three Arctic expeditions; his nephew, James Clark Ross, the most experienced explorer of his generation and discoverer of the Magnetic North Pole; Dr. John Richardson of Dumfries, who became an accidental cannibal and deliberate executionaer of a murderer as well as an engaging natural historian; and Orcadian John Rae, the man who first discovered evidence of Sir John Franklin and his crew's demise. Northern Lights also pays tribute and reveals other overlooked stories in this fascinating era of history: the Scotch Irish, the whalers, and especially the Inuit, whose unparalleled knowledge of the Arctic environment was often indispensible.For anyone fascinated by Scottish history or hungry for tales of Arctic adventure, Northern Lights is a vivid new addition to the rich tradition of polar narratives.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• List of Plates
• Preface
• Editor’s Note
• Epigraph
• A Note on Terminology
• List of Abbreviations
• Maps
• Chapter 1: The Arctic Scots
• Chapter 2: John Ross’s Expedition of 1818
• Chapter 3: The Arctic Apprenticeship of James Clark Ross
• Chapter 4: The Trials and Tribulations of Dr John Richardson
• Chapter 5: Boreal Naturalist
• Chapter 6: The Longest Winter
• Chapter 7: The Scots and the Inuit
• Chapter 8: Thomas Simpson: Uniting the Arctic with the Great Western Ocean
• Chapter 9: Men for all Seasons
• Chapter 10: A Gallimaufry of Arctic Scots
• Chapter 11: The Lions in Winter
• Chapter 12: The Search Continues
• Chapter 13: Discovering the Northwest Passage
• Photographs
• Appendix: Timeline of Key Events and Expeditions
• About the Author
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright