Wife of self-proclaimed North Pole discoverer Robert Edwin Peary, Josephine Peary was the first woman apart from the Inuit to take part in an Arctic expedition. My Arctic Journal, unavailable for nearly a century, is Peary's memoir of the time she spent, from June of 1891 to August of 1892, accompanying her husband and his exploration party across the northernmost expanses of Greenland. Peary recounts in detail the hardships of life in the frozen North, and describes at length the customs of the Inuit natives, among whom she spent a great deal of time. She also tells of her experiences hunting near the top of the world, and gives her impressions of the other members of the expedition, who included explorers Dr. Frederick Cook and Matthew Henson. Richly illustrated and written with candor and emotion, My Arctic Journal is a unique gem of an exploration memoir.

My Arctic Journal: A Year among Ice-Fields and Eskimos

Biographies & Memoirs

Peary, Josephine

Community & Culture

Cooper Square Press

Special reproduction of this classic in women's exploration. Widget Magic took great care to ensure that this is an edition superior to all other efforts. Enjoyable reading is enhanced by re-typesetting the entire work in classic Garamond type on full letter size pages and a coil binding to allow pages to lay perfectly flat. Abundantly illustrated with photos added from "Northward Over The Great Ice" and Evind Astrup's 1895 book--both written by fellow members of the expedition. This provides over 150 photos, illustrations, and maps. A dozen photos were colorized by digital air brushing. Additional material is included from the congressional record praising Peary for his triumphant discovery of the North Pole, and exposing Frederick Cook as an imposter. Josephine Peary's sensitive portrayal of the 1891 Greenland Inuit who had "never seen a white woman" is remarkable for numerous reasons. Back in "those days" a woman didn't go off to the stone age arctic at all. But Josephine, with her Winchester rifle and a Colt revolver is soon feeding fresh meat to everyone. She quickly learns the Inuit language and organizing Inuit women to sew fur clothing. She tells a fascinating story of a primitive, native people adapting to the influence of an industrial one. Her book also records the foundation for arctic exploration that her husband, Robert E. Peary with his assistant Matthew A. Henson, will advance upon until reaching the North Pole 18 years later. Peary worked closely with the native people who were vital in the dash to the Pole. It was, in the end, Inuit villages that supplied the men, dogs and furs needed to accomplish that goal.

My Arctic Journal

History

Arctic & Antarctica

Widget Magic

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