Arctic Explorations: The Second Grinnell Expedition

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Elisha Kent Kane (1820 57) was a medical officer in the United States Navy, best known for the so-called ‘Grinnell voyages’ to the Arctic in search of Sir John Franklin’s expedition. Originally published in 1856, this two-volume work documents his second expedition, between 1853 and 1855, during which his ship became ice-bound, and he and his men survived by adopting Inuit survival skills, such as hunting, sledge-driving and hut-building. In Volume 1, Kane recounts the dangers posed by icebergs, glaciers and fluctuating tides, which led to his ship’s entrapment, and records his impressions of the Inuit whom he later relied on for survival. Along with extensive illustrations of the animals, terrain and people encountered on his mission, and a useful glossary of Arctic terms, Kane’s writings reveal his own controversial personality as well as his relationship with the Inuit and his admiration for their skills.