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Reviewed by:
  • Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Northwest Passage
  • Nicholas Bomba
Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of the Northwest Passage. Alan Day. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2006. Pp. 417, $90 cloth

When Roald Amundsen reached the telegraph station at Eagle City, AK, in 1906, he could assert only pyrrhic success. Although he became the first man to traverse a northwest passage, he proved only that an arctic journey was too frozen, too perilous, and far too impractical to be repeated by, say, a cargo vessel or a warship. This anti-climactic culmination of more than four centuries of exploration has challenged scholars to identify the significance of such an endeavour. Is the elusive, chimeric Northwest Passage an important topic in political, social, cultural, economic, and scientific history, or is it merely a proving ground for intrepid men? The evaluation of any study hinges on this question. Sadly, most of the literature has answered with the latter, preferring the route of adventure and entertainment to insightful analysis.

Alan Day immediately disputes this notion. 'Discovery voyages,' he maintains, 'are rarely undertaken in a political, social, industrial, or economic vacuum' (xxxiii). A concise and informative introduction nicely situates them within the context of major geopolitical rivalries and commercial competition, leaving the reader with a solid comprehension of the larger picture. An exhaustive bibliography of secondary works appears at the end. Yet the heart of the book mirrors many of the titles cited; the dictionary itself tends to shun the historical and emphasize the mundane, and even the trivial. Day clutters many of the entries with excessive detail, rarely showing why he chose to include them. This limitation is especially true of individuals. The author describes their routes, their obstacles, and their impressive deeds, but not necessarily why one needs to know them. He also favours narrative – an awkward form of exposition for a reference text. As a result, the reader must often wait until the middle or end of an entry to learn essential information – that Amundsen navigated the Arctic Archipelago (2–4), for example, or that John Franklin disappeared while trying (99) – if he or she obtains it at all. Day forgets that most readers will not be reading this book cover to cover.

Often the author disregards the historical part of this historical dictionary. Some geographical terms like Arctic and Tundra are not germane, while others, such as Franklin Mafia and Mud are downright silly. One, Arctic Postman, is an invention of the author and deserves omission. Certain scientific entries, such as Aurora Borealis and Scurvy, would be useful if they discussed the role of arctic exploration in their conception and development. Food Poisoning and Lead Poisoning, [End Page 334] thought to be causes of Franklin's demise, do not deserve their own passages. Inexcusably, the author devotes more attention to each of these last two items than he does to Otto von Kotzebue, the explorer who galvanized the Admiralty to recommence its suspended search for the Passage in the early nineteenth century. In addition to these glitches, the author has omitted fundamental details (such as James Cook's first and second voyages [55]) as well as important entries: the Dutch VOC, John Croker, and Viscount Melville, to name a few. Ordinarily, such criticism would be minor, but in a reference work, accuracy and consistency are imperative.

One strength of the dictionary is a discussion of maps and mapping (175–83), the only part that gives the reader a clear idea of how geographical knowledge expanded and how long-held assumptions about the world evolved as a result of these expeditions. Unfortunately, the dictionary does not include any cartographic reproductions, other than two truly insignificant ones at the beginning of the book. A more useful tool would be detailed reference maps enabling the reader to identify immediately the ubiquitous geographical citations. Without them, the book is a chart of spatial confusion. One must buy a good atlas – of the Arctic Circle – if one is to benefit fully from this book, highly priced as it is.

This dictionary appears at an appropriate time. As they did two hundred years ago, melting polar ice caps are, today, opening...

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