ARCTIC & GREENLAND
Suggested reading list
‘Commander Markham's farthest north’, British Arctic Expedition 1875-1876. S0011791
The Royal Geographical Society's Collections holds thousands of items relating to the Arctic, as well as modern guide books covering the region. The following items can either be viewed through online resources, such as archive.org, or purchased through all good bookshops.
RECOMMENDED READING*
PARRY, WILLIAM EDWARD
Journal of a voyage for the discovery of a north-west passage, 1821
FRANKLIN, JOHN
Narrative of a journey to the shores of the Polar Sea, in 1819-22, 1823
ROSS, JOHN
Narrative of a second voyage in search of a north-west passage, 1835
SMUCKER, SAMUEL M.
Arctic explorations and discoveries during the nineteenth century by Ross, Parry, Back, Franklin, M'Clure, 1857
NANSEN, FRIDTJOF
The first crossing of Greenland, 1892
RITTER, CHRISTIANE
A Woman in the Polar Night, 1938
KIRWAN, L. P.
A history of polar exploration, 1962
FRANCIS, GAVIN
True North: travels in Arctic Europe, 2010
LEONARD, STEPHEN PAX
The Polar North: ways of speaking, ways of belonging, 2014
LOPEZ, BARRY
Arctic Dreams: imagination and desire in a northern landscape, 2014
PALIN, MICHAEL
Erebus: the story of a ship, 2018
DODDS, KLAUS & WOODWARD, JAMIE
The Arctic: a very short introduction, 2021
CRONIN, ELIZABETH (Ed.)
The awe of the Arctic, 2024
WINDRIDGE, DR MELANIE
Aurora, 2016
ARCTIC & GREENLAND
Suggested podcasts, films and online resources
ONLINE EXHIBITIONS*:
Dreams and nightmares in the Arctic: The quest for the Northwest Passage
This online exhibition presents the history behind the search for the Northwest Passage.
Arctic culture and climate
An immersive online exhibition by the British Museum reveals the creativity and resourcefulness of Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic.
PODCASTS & ONLINE TALKS*:
The Hayes expedition to the Arctic 1860-61
Tom Walker discusses the expedition to the Arctic, led by Isaac Hayes, which overwintered on the coast of Greenland and which includes the earliest photographs of the high Arctic.
A history of polar exploration in 50 objects
Polar historian and biographer, Anne Strathie, talks about objects from a period of exploration which is the bedrock of our present-day knowledge and fascination with polar regions.
Expedition east Greenland: a sea kayaking journey through iceberg and polar bear territory
Paddling through the fjords, Katherine Durkin witnesses glacier retreat first hand. Encountering the Aura Borealis, whales and Arctic foxes makes it a trip of a lifetime.
In our time: Icelandic Sagas
BBC Sounds. Melvyn Bragg discusses the medieval stories written about the Norse settlers of Iceland.
*Please note: views and opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the RGS-IBG. Subscriptions may be required to access content.
FILMS/DOCUMENTARIES*:
The Last Ice
The Inuk people of the north are divided between modern and traditional lifestyles and Canadian and Danish political systems. Those divides are becoming more pronounced due to the effects of a warming northern climate.
The Horror
A chilling drama inspired by the fate of the ships Erebus and Terror during John Franklin’s expedition in search of the Northwest Passage in 1845.
History Hit
Documentaries and podcasts on historical topics, including ‘Who owns Greenland?’ and ‘Franklin & the Northwest Passage’.
THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY’S COLLECTIONS
The Royal Geographical Society’s Collections comprise over two million documents, maps, photographs, paintings, periodicals, artefacts and books, and spans 500 years of geography, travel and exploration. The Society’s full collection can be searched on the Society’s online catalogue
Prints of a selection of mages from the Society’s Collections can be purchased from our Print Store
Arctic Fox. Illustration by John Ross, 1835. SS0026244
