Best, Peter B.

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192 REVIEWS ON SKIS TO  THE  NORTH  POLE.  By VLADIMIR SNEGIRYEV. Trans- lated  by GEORGEWATTS. New  York:  Sphinx  Press, 1985. vi + 240 p., 46 photos. US$19.95. Readers of modem  adventure-travel  literature  have,  perhaps  uncon- sciously,  become  accustomed  to  a  common  style  in  which  danger  and hardship tend to be deliberately understated, self-portraits are often humorously  self-deprecatory,  and  the  book’s  intent  is  unabashedly  to pay off the  expedition  debts.  In On Skis  to  the  North  Pole we  have  the Soviet  version  of  this  genre  and  it  is  a  very  different  beast  indeed. In 1979, seven  Soviet  skiers  travelled 1500 km from  a  tiny  island near  Yakutia  to  the  North  Pole.  In so doing,  they  made  the  first  land crossing to the Pole from the Eurasian continent. The story of the journey is told by Vladimir Snegiryev, a senior journalist for the state-run  newspaper Pravda, which  officially  sponsored  the  expedi- tion. Although  not  a  participant  in  the  trip  to  the  Pole,  Snegiryev  writes knowledgeably  because of his  intimate  involvement  in  organizing  the expedition  and  taking  part  in  several  previous  training  trips. Not  surprisingly,  the  book  has  a  heavy  ideological  tenor.  It  is  the literary  equivalent of monolithic  Soviet  representational  art  with  sturdy- thewed heroes gazing stolidly into the future with tools in gnarled hands. It rings with allusions to Valour, the Will to Win, Duty, Patriotic Sacrifice, being a Man, and fulfillment of individual and collective  potentials.  The  xpedition  members,  each  in  separate vignettes, are characterized  as  bursting  with  human  virtues.  In  only  a few  tantalizing  glimpses are we  allowed  to  see  their  individual  foibles. All in  all,  the  book  appears  to  be  intended  originally  as  a  tale  of  moral inspiration  designed  to  lead  citizens  to  healthy,  active,  goal-directed lives  and  to  broaden  concepts of the  possible. However,  it  would  be  a  shame  to  write  off  this  book  as  merely  a socially  inspired  tract.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  good  book  about  a  great  trip.  The leader, Dmitri Shparo, is a hard-driving man who single-mindedly worked  for  more  than  ten  years  to  develop  the  support,  equipment,  and experience necessary for the journey. He started out doing small, privately funded ski trips and finally built up enough credibility to interest Pravda in  sponsorship.  The  men  he  chose  to  accompany  him appear  to be bristly  individualists.  This  is  most  apparent  in  the  person  of Vasili Sishkarev, a poetry-writing gardener from Kazakhstan who devoted  himself  for  six  years  to  getting  picked  as  a  team  member. He did solo ski  trips,  slept  outside  for  two  years,  and  finally,  on  specula- tion, moved 4000 km to Moscow, where he proved himself to be physically  the  strongest  member of the  group.  Shparo  had  little  choice but  to  put  him on the  team.  But  Sishkarev’s  lack of academic  ambition, his  refusal  to be cowed  in  arguments  with  his  older,  better-educated colleagues,  and  his  marvellous  impetuosity  make  him  the  black  sheep of  the  expedition  and  the  most  interesting  character  in  the  book. On Skis to the  North  Pole can  be  recommended  to  readers  of Arctic both as a  window  into  Soviet  culture  and  as  a  tale  of  adventure. Christopher C .  Shank Department of Renewable  Resources Government of the N.W.T.  Yellowknife, N.   W.T. ,   Canada XIA 2L9 ARCTIC  WHALERS,  ICY  SEAS.  By W.GILLIES ROSS. Toronto:  Irwin Publishing  Inc., 1985. xvi + 263 p., 4 maps, 149 illus.,  glossary, bibliog.,  index.  Hardbound. Cdn$34.95. This book  is  a  celebration  of  a  way of life  and  a  breed of men  that disappeared nearly three-quarters of a century ago, the whalemen (mostly  British,  some  American)  who  braved  the  sea,  ice  and  snow  of the  Davis  Strait  region  in  pursuit of bowhead  whales  from 1820 to 1913. It is not  a dry historical  treatise  crammed  with  facts,  figures  and statistics,  but  a  highly  readable  account  of  the  experiences of ninete nth- centurywhalemenintheDavisStraitfishery. Fifteenfirst-handaccounts by  whaling  masters,  surgeons,  a  mate,  a  boatsteerer  and  a  sportsman- adventurer  are  presented  in  chronological  order.  Each  chapter  is introduced,  concluded  and  occasionally  interlaced  with  commentary by  Professor  Ross  that  puts  the  account  in  a  historical  context,  provides background information on the personalities, ships and places con- cerned,  and  summarises  what  were  presumably  more  pedestrian  por- tions of the  journals.  The  comments  are  clearly  distinguishable  from the  original  accounts  by  differences  in  type  size.  Nine of the  fifteen chapters are based on previously unpublished material, while the remaining  six  are  from  works  published  between 1827 and 1874. Although  the  theme of whaling  runs  through  most  accounts,  five  of the  chapters  deal  in  the  main  with  the  business of arctic  whaling  itself. These  include  the  voyages  of Hercules of  Aberdeen (183 1) and  four Dundee  whalers, Thomas ( 1834), Active ( 1849), Narwhal (1 874) and Maud (1889). Such accounts provide detailed descriptions of the techniques  of  capturing,  flensing  and  processing  whales  (which  dif- fered  somewhat  from  the  perhaps  better-known  methods  of  Yankee right  and  sperm  whalers),  as  well  as  information on the  whales themselves  and  the  exploitation  of  the  arctic  birds  and  mammals.  Two chapters  concern  deliberate  attempts  to  overwinter  in  the  Arctic  to  steal a  march on the  single-season  whalers - one (Wellington of  Hull)  being unsuccessful,  and  the  other (Emma of Hull)  providing  an  illuminating account  of  how  crews  occupied  themselves  during  the  enforced  months of inactivity in the winter of 1859-60. Perhaps the most dramatic chapters  concernthose  whalers (Dundeeof London, 1826-27; Viewforth of Kirkcaldy, 1835-36; and Dee of Aberdeen, 1836-37) that  uninten- tionally  became  beset  in  the  ice,  forcing  their  crews  to  face  the  hazards of starvation, scurvy and frostbite, while the threat of having to abandon  ship if the  pressure  of  ice  became  too  great  was  ever  present. To face rigours such as these with the lack of proper equipment, supplies  and  medical  knowledge  that  existed  must  have  required  men with  a  special  type of fortitude.  It  is  perhaps  not  surprising  that  some attempted  desertion - one  such  attempt  in 1860, involving  the  theft of a  whale  boat  by  crewmen  from  the Ansel  Gibbs of  Fairhaven  and  the Daniel  Webster of New  Bedford,  and  ending  in  attempted  murder  and cannibalism,  is  described  by  a  survivor.  A  recurring  theme  throughout the  book  is  the  evolving  relationship  between  whalemen  and  Eskimos, which is highlighted in two chapters. One concerns the visit of the 20-year-old  Eenoolooapik  to  Aberdeen  on  the  whaler N ptune in 1839 and  his  return  in 1840, while  the  other  reproduces  notes  and  sketches of Eskimo  life  made  about 1917 by  David  Cardno,  an  Aberdeen  whale- man  who  spent  nine  winters  in  Cumberland  Sound. Some  minor  points  suggest  the  text  could  with  advantage  have  been reviewed  by  a  cetologist.  On  p. 213 the  “tearing  and  chewing”  of  prey attributed  to  odontocetes  is  probably  only  exhibited y the  killer  whale. The  statement  on  the  same  page  that  within the bowhead  whale’s  mouth there  are  “approximately 700 slabs of baleen,  hanging  down  from  each side of the  upper  jaw”  might  mislead  the  casual  reader  if  he  had  not  just read  the  statement  on  p. 209 that  ‘‘there  are  from  three  to  four  hundred blades on each  side  of  the  head.” I am not  aware  that  whale  stomach contents  have  ever  been  used  to  make  a  particular  product,  as  implied on  p. 243. Right  (including  bowhead)  whales  were  finally  protected from  commercial  whaling  (p. 244) in 1935, the  year  in  which  the 193 1 League  of  Nations  Agreement  came  into  effect. The  layout  and  design  of  this  book  are  delightful.  It  is  copiously illustrated  with  photographs,  journal  extracts  and  sketches,  portraits, handbills,  etc.,  and  these  are  particularly  well  positioned  to  illustrate relevant  sections  of  the  text,  helping  to  bring  the  circumstances  of  the authors  vividly  to  light  as  their  stories  unfold.  Only  two  faults  with  the figures were noticed: the cliff-nesting kittiwake on p. 31 has been perched  precariously  on  its  side,  while  on  p. 159 the  house  referred  to  in the  figure  caption  is  invisible. I enjoyed  reading this book  and  can  thoroughly  recommend  it  to anybody  interested  in  the  history  of  whaling  or  arctic  exploration,  and the  quality  of  writing  should  appeal  to  the  specialist  and  layman  alike. Peter  B.  Best Mammal  Research  Institute University of Pretoria South  Africa 

Arctic Whalers, Icy Seas, by W. Gillies Ross

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Arctic Whalers, Icy Seas, by W. Gillies Ross

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