Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape

Fabulous book, brings alive the Arctic landscape and the life forms that call it home in a way that will leave you highly affected. I am about half way through it, every chapter is just so beautiful - a tour-de-force of literary non-fiction by a master who knows what he is writing about intimately. Extraordinarily granular and detailed at one level, deeply philosophical and existential at another. What's amazing is both are equally compelling. I would never have thought that I would enjoy reading about the physiology and habits of a musk ox, narwhals or polar bear written about it in such detail, but the way he weaves in these details with elements of history and ruminations on the broader ecosystem, and what the various interactions means to the people living there - the natives, the explorers, the modern migrants, makes you want to read it slowly, savouring each line and paragraph. Reading the book, you can literally feel the Arctic in your bones.

The deep love of the Arctic, the sensitive depiction of the plants, animals, terrain, the light, snow, ice and people who inhabit the Arctic comes through so vividly as no other writer on the subject has ever done. A beautiful, brilliant book. I wish I had bought the hardcopy instead of the Kindle edition.

"The cold view to take of our future is that we are therefore headed for extinction in a universe of impersonal chemical, physical, and biological laws. A more productive, certainly more engaging view, is that we have the intelligence to grasp what is happening, the composure not to be intimidated by its complexity, and the courage to take steps that may bear no fruit in our lifetimes"....Lopez I have been finger trotting the arctic with Lopez for the last three months and as I conclude the read of the last chapter ,it leaves me with a great void. Indeed a beautiful and soulful reading.

Over the years I've read many great books on Natural History, most of them were very enjoyable, giving me rare insights into the natural world and its inhabitants. But "Arctic Dreams" is in a class all its own. For me, this is one of the best Nature books I've read since "The Sea Around Us". Like Rachel Carson, author Barry Lopez writes with a poetic beauty that reflects his love of nature as he takes the reader on an extended field trip through the the Arctic landscape to study what life is like in this frozen world. The author seems to have a well rounded education in biology as well as the history of Arctic exploration but is, I suspect, a philosopher at heart. Starting with an imaginary hike from the Arctic Circle to the Equator and back again Lopez examines the changing landscape, climate and biosphere leading to some surprising conclusions. A good portion of the book is devoted to the authors observations and thoughts on the behavior and evolution of some iconic Arctic animals like the Musk Ox, Polar Bear and Walrus. The write up on the Musk Ox was fascinating, the first I've ever read. And so was the segment on Narwals leading to an historical link between, of all things, the legendary Unicorn and the Narwal's horn. Most of Lopez's observations were done in the company of other wildlife biologist, explorers and, additionally, some of the local Eskimos that he was living and hunting with. But "Arctic Dreams" is not just about animals and plants! Lopez also delves into our cultural history with thoughts on the early days of Arctic exploration and modern day scientific research and the exploitation of the Arctic by world governments, international industry and multinational shipping. There's an extensive write up on how and when early man came to North America and the peopling of the Arctic by various groups of "Eskimos" and Nordic people. Ice is the signature property of the Arctic and it comes in many forms, each with its own characteristics that can change over time. Modern day shipping has catalogued and named many of them to help them in navigating Arctic waters. The author covers this phenomenon in a fascinating way that surprised me in its complexity. Lopez's descriptive passages make you feel like you're right there with him as he walks the Arctic tundra or observers ice-bergs from the deck of a research vessel. You can almost feel the bitter wind or see snow geese flying overhead. The book is illustrated with several good maps but you may want to keep your tablet or computer handy so you can get a better look at the region's covered. There's so much more to this wonderful, well written book that no review can do it justic, so if you are at all interested in the geography, climate, history and life of the polar region then you might want to give this book a try. I highly recommend it! Last Ranger

Written with great sensitivity to all aspects of life in the Arctic including accounts of the animals: muskoxen, polar bears, seals, walruses and birds, as well as to the history of indigenous people and their drastic encounters with white whalers and now contemporary corporations who show no interest or understanding of this landscape and the traditions of these remarkable Inuit people.

Yes! This book to definitely have by your side to dip into. What a marvellous read.

Ótimo livro e boa experiência de compra

Excelente libro