ABOUT ANTARCTIC ENCYCLOPEDIAS—MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER WANT OR NEED TO KNOW.

Launched: 11 February 2007. Last updated: 28 March 2007.



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For those of us who are drawn to, even obsessed with, a subject, a good encyclopedia is always useful. In my case the subject is Antarctica and specifically the cultural, historical, bibliographical side of things, and less so, the scientific. I'm always needing to check a fact quickly without wading through a pile of books. When was Borchgrevink born? What was the original name of Filchner's ship? When such questons arise I turn first to an encyclopedia.

For some years since its publication in 1990, John Stewart's two-volume Antarctica; An Encyclopedia has served me well, and continues to do so. But since then several other titles have appeared. Some are bi-polar; others specifically Antarctic. Some have a scientific emphasis; others historical. What they all have in common are entries of various length, arranged alphabetically.

I thought it might be useful to collect information on these and present it in a consistent manner as an aid to those who might be considering a purchase. Buying an encyclopedia is not like buying a paperback novel: Most of these are expensive. Buying a new copy of each of those discussed here would set you back at least $1,500. (I received one free review copy; the rest I paid for, although one was secondhand: My total investment came to $1,078.82.)

UPDATE: My investment has just gone up by $204 for a new total of $1,282.82. I decided having Vol I makes sense in that now I have the complete set and there are some Antarcticans included.
—R. Stephenson
1 February 2008

The titles I've decided to focus on are:
Encyclopedia of Exploration [Parts 2 & 3: 1800 to 1850 and 1850 to 1940] Raymond John Howgego (Potts Point, NSW, Australia: Hordern House, 2004 and 2006), 2 volumes of a 3-volume set, 690 + 724pp. Both are AUD$245. [Referred to below sometimes as HOWGEGO]

Exploring Polar Frontiers; A Historical Encyclopedia William James Mills (Santa Barbara, Denver, Oxford: ABC CLIO, 2003) 2 volumes, 797pp. $230. [Referred to below sometimes as MILLS]

Encyclopedia of the Antarctic Beau Riffenburgh, Editor (New York and London: Routledge, 2007), 2 volumes, 1146pp plus indexes. $425. [Referred to below sometimes as RIFFENBURGH]

Antarctica; An Encyclopedia John Stewart (Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1990), 2 volumes, 1193pp. Out-of-print, but easily available secondhand. [Referred to below sometimes as STEWART]

Encyclopedia of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans B. Stonehouse, Editor (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2002) 391pp. $425 or £275. [Referred to below sometimes as STONEHOUSE]

Antarctica. An Encyclopedia from Abbott Ice Shelf to Zooplankton Mary Trewby, Editor (Auckland, Buffalo, Toronto: FireflyBooks, Ltd. , 2002) 208pp. $35. [Referred to below sometimes as TREWBY]
There are books that somewhat resemble encyclopedias in content but not in format. Among these are Antarctica; Great Stories from the Frozen Continent by Reader's Digest (Surry Hills, N.S.W.: Reader's Digest Services Pty Limited, 1985) and Antarctica: the Complete Story by David McGonigal and Lynn Woodworth (Willoughby, N.S.W.: The Five Mile Press, 2001). The former is out-of-print and the latter appears to be as well, although secondhand copies are easily found.

Another title that's somewhat in the encyclodpedia genre is the Chronolgical List of Antarctic Expeditions and Related Historical Events by Robert K. Headland (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989). This is out-of-print although a new edition is in preparation.
NOTE: To see four selected entries taken from each of the titles for comparison purposes, click here.

NOTE: To see a comparative listing of entries, click here.

NOTE: The photos below show the books opened to the entry for Robert Scott.




Encyclopedia of Exploration [Parts 2 & 3: 1800 to 1850 and 1850 to 1940] by Raymond John Howgego


Encyclopedia of Exploration [Part 2:] 1800 to 1850

Author: Raymond John Howgego
Publisher: Potts Point, NSW, Australia: Hordern House
Date: 2004
ISBN: 1 875567 39 9
Binding: Saifu cloth, upper cover and spine with lettering in gilt.
Dustwrapper: Pictorial
Endpapers: Pictorial
Pages: 690
Paper: No statement can be found as to whether the paper is acid free.
Size: Quarto. 8-1/4 x 11 inches; 210 x 280 mm
Weight: 4 lbs 6 oz; 1.98 kilograms
Illustrations: None
Maps: None
Tables/figures: None
Price: AUD$245.
Other features: Three ribbon bookmarks
Website: www.explorersencyclopedia.com
The publisher's website is very well conceived and executed. Not only is the usual information on the title available but a listing of all the major articles is included as well as a listing of other persons mentioned, ships mentioned, reviews, etc. One can request by e-mail one article which is a very helpful feature.
Notes: The title is part of a three-volume series, of which this is the most recent. The other titles are: Encyclopedia of Exploration Part 1: to 1800 and Encyclopedia of Exploration [Part 3:] 1850 to 1940 The Oceans, Islands and Polar Regions. Part I, which has not been examined, includes entries for James Cook, the Forsters, Edmond Halley, William Hodges, Yves-Joseph Trémairec de Kerguelen and Anders Sparrman, and perhaps others I missed.
524 articles in about 700,000 words.
Area: Worldwide
Timeframe: 1800 to 1850

CONTENTS:

Introduction vii-x
      General Organization and Content
      Bibliographies
      World Exploration 1800-1850
      Acknowledgments
Alphabetical entries 1-671
Index to Persons 673-685
Index of Ships 686-690
Typical Entry: Number, Name, Inclusive dates of the expedition in question, Region, and Text, concluding with a bibliography.
Example: W18 WEDDELL, James 1819-1824 Antarctica, South Orkneys & South Shetland Is.
The entries are laid out in double columns throughout.

Subjects of Major Articles (related to the Antarctic) (with approximate page length)
BALLENY, John (.75)
BARNARD, John (.25)
BELLINGSHAUSEN, Faddei Faddeevich (1.25)
BISCOE, John (1.25)
BRISBANE, Matthew (.75)
DAVIS, John (.5)
DECAEN, Rene-Marie (.5)
DUMONT D'URVILLE, Jules Sébastien César (5.25)
ENDERBY BROTHERS (1.5)
FANNING, Edmund (.5)
FOSTER, Henry (.75)
HERRING, Joseph (.5)
HOOKER, Sir Joseph Dalton (1.5)
KEMP, Peter (2.5)
LAZAREV, Mikhail Petrovich (.5)
LYALL, David (.5)
MORRELL, Benjamin (1)
PALMER, Nathaniel Brown (1.5)
PEALE, Titian Ramsay (.5)
REYNOLDS, Jeremiah N. (1.25)
ROSS, James Clark (2.25)
SHEFFIELD, James (.5)
SMITH, William (1.75)
WEDDELL, James (2)
WILKES, Charles (2)
A total of 25 entries representing ca. 35 pages out of 671 or 5% of the book is devoted to the Antarctic. No doubt an equal or greater percent is devoted to the Arctic.

See below under the same title, Part 3, for author informawtion, blurbs and reviews.

SUMMARY

See below under the same title, Part 3.

Encylopedia of Exploration [Part 3:] 1850 to 1940 The Oceans, Islands and Polar Regions.

Author: Raymond John Howgego
Publisher: Potts Point, NSW, Australia: Hordern House
Date: 2006
ISBN: 1 875567 41 0
Binding: Saifu cloth, upper cover and spine with lettering in gilt.
Dustwrapper: Pictorial
Endpapers: Pictorial
Pages: 724
Paper: No statement can be found as to whether the paper is acid free.
Size: Quarto. 8-1/4 x 11 inches; 210 x 280 mm
Weight: 4 lbs 7 oz; 2.01 kilograms
Illustrations: None
Maps: None
Tables/figures: None
Price: AUD$245. Part 1 (AUD$295) and Part 2 (AUD$245)
Other features: Three ribbon bookmarks
Website: www.explorersencyclopedia.com
The publisher's website is very well conceived and executed. Not is the usual information on the title available but a listing of all the major articles is included as well as a listing of other persons mentioned, ships mentioned, reviews, etc. One can request by e-mail one article which is a very helpful feature.
Notes: The title is part of a three-volume series, of which this is the most recent. The other titles are: Encyclopedia of Exploration Part 1: to 1800 and Encyclopedia of Exploration [Part 3:] 1850 to 1940 The Oceans, Islands and Polar Regions. Part I, which has not been examined, includes entries for James Cook, the Forsters, Edmond Halley, William Hodges, Yves-Joseph Trémairec de Kerguelen and Anders Sparrman, and perhaps others I missed.
524 articles in about 700,000 words.
Area: The Oceans, Islands and Polar Regions
Timeframe: 1850 to 1940

CONTENTS:

Introduction vii-x
General Organization and Content
Bibliographies
Exploration in the Oceans, Islands and Polar Regions from 1850
Aerial Exploration
Sources and Acknowledgments
Alphabetical entries 1-703
Index to Persons 705-717
Index of Regional, Island and General Articles 718
Index of Ships, Boats, Aeroplanes and Airships 719-724
Typical Entry: Number, Name, Inclusive dates of the expedition in question, Region, and Text, concluding with a bibliography.
Example: S12 SCOTT, Robert Falcon 1901-1904 Antarctica.
In this instance the text includes information on the early life of Scott, followed by a description of the Discovery expedition. This and other sections end with a thorough bibliography. The following section continues with Scott concentrating on the Terra Nova expedition. The third and last Scott section is 'The British Antarctic Expedition (1910-12): Biographical Notes on the Participants.'
The entries are laid out in double columns throughout..

Subjects of Major Articles (related to the Antarctic) (with approximate page length)
AMUNDSEN, Roald Engelbregt Gravning (nearly 3 pages)
Antarctic Exploration: historical overview (5-1/2 pages)
Auckland Islands (2 pages)
BORCHGREVINK, Carsten Egeberg (3-1/2 pages)
BRUCE, William Speirs (3+ pages)
BULL, Henryk Johan (1-1/2 pages)
BYRD, Richard Evelyn (4-1/4 pages)
Campbell Island (1 page)
CHARCOT, Jean Baptiste Etienne Auguste (3-1/2 pages)
COOPER, Mercator (1/2 page)
COPE, John Lachlan (1-1/2 pages)
Crozet Islands (1 page)
DALLMANN, Eduard (1 page)
DRYGALSKI, Erich Dagobert von (2 pages)
DUNDEE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION (1-1/2 pages)
ELLSWORTH, Lincoln (2 pages)
FILCHNER, Wilhelm (1-1/2+)
GERLACHE DE GOMERY, Adrien Victor Joseph de (6 pages)
Heard Island (3/4 page)
Kerguelen Island (1-1/4 page)
LARSEN, Carl Anton (1-1/2 pages)
Macquarie Island (3/4 page)
MARKHAM, Clements Robert (2-1/2+ pages)
MAWSON, Douglas (10 pages)
NORDENSKJÖLD, Nils Otto Gustafv (4-1/2 pages)
RIISER-LARSEN, Hjalmar (1 page)
RYMILL, John Riddoch (2 pages)
SCOTT, Robert Falcon (19 pages)
SHACKLETON, Ernest Henry (16+ pages)
SHIRASE, Nobu (2 pages)
South Georgia (2-1/2 pages)
THOMSON, Charles Wyville (1/2 page)
WILKINS, George Hubert (2-1/2 pages)
WISTING, Oscar (1-1/4 pages)
WORDIE, James Mann (1 page)
A total of 35 entries representing ca. 113 pages out of 703 or 16% of the book is devoted to the Antarctic. No doubt an equal or greater percent is devoted to the Arctic.


Note: Having just gone ahead and purchased Part 1, I'm adding some information on it.

Encylopedia of Exploration [Part 1:] To 1800.

Author: Raymond John Howgego
Publisher: Potts Point, NSW, Australia: Hordern House
Date: 2003
ISBN: 1 875567 36 4
Binding: Saifu cloth, upper cover and spine with lettering in gilt.
Dustwrapper: Pictorial
Endpapers: Pictorial
Pages: 11168
Paper: No statement can be found as to whether the paper is acid free.
Size: Quarto. 8-1/4 x 11 inches; 210 x 280 mm
Weight: 6 lbs 12 oz; 3.06 kilograms
Illustrations: None
Maps: None
Tables/figures: None
Price: AUD$295. Parts 2 and 3 (AUD$245)
Other features: Three ribbon bookmarks
Website: www.explorersencyclopedia.com
The publisher's website is very well conceived and executed. Not is the usual information on the title available but a listing of all the major articles is included as well as a listing of other persons mentioned, ships mentioned, reviews, etc. One can request by e-mail one article which is a very helpful feature.
Notes: The title is part of a three-volume series, of which this is the first volume. A fourth volume (continental exploration) is in preparation. The other titles are: Encyclopedia of Exploration Part 2: 1800 to 1850 and Encyclopedia of Exploration [Part 3:] 1850 to 1940 The Oceans, Islands and Polar Regions.
2,327 articles in about 1.2 million words.
Area: Worldwide.
Timeframe: To 1800.

CONTENTS:

Introduction ix-xv
General Organization
Indexing of Personal Names
Place Names
Ships
Bibliographies
World Exploration in 1800
Sources and Acknowledgments
Alphabetical entries 1-1,136
Index to Persons 1,137-63
Index of Ships 1,164-68
Typical Entry: The same format as with subsequent volumes.

Subjects of Major Articles (related to the Antarctic, many in a very tenuous wasy) (with approximate page length)
AMUNDSEN, Roald Engelbregt Gravning (nearly 3 pages)
Antarctic Exploration: historical overview (5-1/2 pages)
Auckland Islands (2 pages)
BORCHGREVINK, Carsten Egeberg (3-1/2 pages)
BRUCE, William Speirs (3+ pages)
BULL, Henryk Johan (1-1/2 pages)
BYRD, Richard Evelyn (4-1/4 pages)
Campbell Island (1 page)
CHARCOT, Jean Baptiste Etienne Auguste (3-1/2 pages)
COOPER, Mercator (1/2 page)
COPE, John Lachlan (1-1/2 pages)
Crozet Islands (1 page)
DALLMANN, Eduard (1 page)
DRYGALSKI, Erich Dagobert von (2 pages)
DUNDEE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION (1-1/2 pages)
ELLSWORTH, Lincoln (2 pages)
FILCHNER, Wilhelm (1-1/2+)
GERLACHE DE GOMERY, Adrien Victor Joseph de (6 pages)
Heard Island (3/4 page)
Kerguelen Island (1-1/4 page)
LARSEN, Carl Anton (1-1/2 pages)
Macquarie Island (3/4 page)
MARKHAM, Clements Robert (2-1/2+ pages)
MAWSON, Douglas (10 pages)
NORDENSKJÖLD, Nils Otto Gustafv (4-1/2 pages)
RIISER-LARSEN, Hjalmar (1 page)
RYMILL, John Riddoch (2 pages)
SCOTT, Robert Falcon (19 pages)
SHACKLETON, Ernest Henry (16+ pages)
SHIRASE, Nobu (2 pages)
South Georgia (2-1/2 pages)
THOMSON, Charles Wyville (1/2 page)
WILKINS, George Hubert (2-1/2 pages)
WISTING, Oscar (1-1/4 pages)
WORDIE, James Mann (1 page)
A total of 35 entries representing ca. 113 pages out of 703 or 16% of the book is devoted to the Antarctic. No doubt an equal or greater percent is devoted to the Arctic.


About the Author:

Ray Howgego is an independent researcher, scholar and traveller. Born in London in 1946, he graduated in physics from Nottingham University.

He has travelled widely through Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, India, West Africa and South America, following in the footsteps of the explorers, seeking out local sources of information, and adding to a lifetime's accumulation of travel literature.

Ray Howgego has been researching the history of travel and exploration for much of his adult life, and the Encyclopedia of Exploration is the distillation of that research. It has taken him some fifteen years to complete.

Formerly a physics teacher, since 1997 he has devoted himself almost exclusively to his studies, reserving some time for his scientific and technical interests, which have included the design of a CAD drafting system for electronics engineers.

Ray Howgego has two adult children and lives with his wife Pat in Caterham, Surrey.

He is now working on the final section of the work, covering the period 1850 to 1940.

Source: www.hordern.com


Blurbs:

The Encyclopedia of Exploration is destined to become the standard work of reference for the history of world exploration, travel and colonization. The vast scope of the Encyclopedia of Exploration makes it a work unlike any other in its combination of historical, biographical and bibliographical data.

Published in three parts to date (Part 1: to 1800, Part 2: 1800 to 1850, Part 3: 1850 to 1940 (Oceans)) it includes a catalogue of all known expeditions, voyages and travels for the periods covered, as well as biographical information on the travellers themselves, which places them in their historical context.

Fifteen years in the making, the Encyclopedia of Exploration will certainly be the first port-of-call for researchers, students, historians, collectors, librarians - all those who need to know about the subject. It has been a massive undertaking resulting in a work that extends to almost 3 million words in more than 2500 pages. More than 3500 major articles have generated index entries totalling more than 15,000 names of persons or ships mentioned in the text. Within the text itself there are about 10,000 cross-references between articles. Altogether nearly 50,000 bibliographical citations accompany the articles.

Ray Howgego's name is familiar to researchers in the field of exploration and discovery, and a number of his earlier articles have appeared on the Internet. The project for a major reference work first started as a catalogue of expeditions, voyages and travels, but its scope was soon extended to include biographical information on the travellers themselves, and often their historical background. At the same time a record of bibliographical references, both major and minor, was undertaken.

A considerable quantity of information in this book is presented here for the first time in English.

Source: www.hordern.com


Reviews:

Rare Book Review, 2006
Review by Colin Steele. Article reproduced here with their kind permission. Web: www.rarebookreview.com
Encyclopedia of Exploration, 1850 to 1940: The Oceans, Islands and Polar Regions, by Raymond John Howgego; Hordern House Rare Books, 2006, $245.

Raymond John Howgego's 'Encyclopedia of Exploration' has, in the five years since publication of the first volume, established itself as a major, if not the major reference work, of exploration, travel and colonisation. Howgego notes, in the Introduction to this third volume, that he had originally intended to complete his work in one volume but the required "degree of thoroughness" meant that more volumes were required than originally anticipated.

The first part covered the period to 1800 and the second 1800-1850. Both volumes are still available from the publisher, Hordern House (www.hordern.com). This third part 1850-1940 is subtitled 'The Oceans, Islands and Polar Regions', while a fourth part, scheduled for 2008, will be subtitled 'Continental Exploration' and will deal with continental and land exploration from 1850-1940.

Howgego, an independent scholar, who has gained the acclaim of many of the world's leading historians in the history of travel and colonisation for this series, could be termed a 'renaissance man', combining training as a physicist with a reading knowledge of every European language except Basque and Finnish.

In the period 1850-1940 it was clear to Howgego that most explorers and travellers restricted their journeys to specific parts of the world or climatic regions. He notes, "those who chartered the world's oceans rarely ventured far onto dry land, while others who explored the interior of the larger islands hardly ever penetrated the continental mainland". The cut off date of 1940 also allows the flights of pioneer aviators to be included but ensures exclusion of the plethora of tourist accounts after that date.

Howgego believes in completeness. Thus "every expedition to Antarctica has been documented in detail, and with respect to the Arctic, little or nothing is missing". The current volume includes a large number of articles devoted to particular islands or regional groups. Antarctica, the Arctic, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are specifically highlighted by Howgego as being particularly strong in coverage and citation. He believes that the coverage contained in the articles on New Zealand, from this and previous volumes, "would alone constitute probably the most comprehensive account of New Zealand exploration ever written". In this context, when Howgego's magisterial reference work is completed, the availability of such linked material via the web, perhaps on a pay for view basis, would be invaluable.

Howgego follows the pattern familiar to readers of the first two volumes, namely an alphabetical approach to individuals, topics and places. Every expedition is placed within an historical context with cross references linking articles of similar content. In all, the volume contains 521 articles in about 700,000 words, with the bibliographies citing more than 14,000 works of reference. The indexes provide links to nearly 3,000 travellers. Scholars, librarians and booksellers will avidly continue to travel with Howgego and Hordern House to this journey's triumphal end.

Colin Steele, Emeritus Fellow, The Australian National University

Source: www.hordern.com


Quadrant, 2006
Review by Dr. Milton E. Osborne. Article reproduced here with their kind permission. Web: www.the-rathouse.com/quadrant2003.html
FILLING THE GAPS ON THE MAPS
Encyclopedia of Exploration, 1850 to 1940: The Oceans, Islands and Polar Regions, by Raymond John Howgego; Hordern House Rare Books, 2006, $245.

WITH ALMOST bewildering speed, the third volume of Raymond Howgego's Encyclopedia of Exploration has appeared, covering a century of exploration of the oceans, islands and polar regions, from 1850 to 1940. It is, once again, a polymathic achievement, testifying to the compiler's energy, language skills and his own dedication to a life of travel to the far corners of the earth. For Howgego, an Englishman, is no armchair traveller. As he records the achievements of past explorers and travellers he does so with the insight into what it means to have rounded the Horn, to have seen where Speke found the source of the Nile, and to have crossed the Torugart Pass from Kyrgyzstan into China. A background as a teacher of physics underlines his concern for accuracy, but it his yen for travel that shines through in this, as in previous volumes. Small wonder that his achievements have led to his becoming a Councillor of the Hakluyt Society.

As Howgego makes clear in his introduction to the book, the century under review was distinguished by several distinctive characteristics that set it apart from the periods treated in his earlier two volumes. From 1850 onwards travel and exploration increasingly extended beyond the temperate continents to encompass regions that had been visited before, but frequently only briefly. Of particular interest for an Australian readership is the extent to which the exploration of the interior of New Guinea took place after 1900.

For a broader Australasian audience it is noteworthy that New Zealand's South Island falls within the category of being part of the later phase of exploration. Although the North Island was well known by the middle of the nineteenth century, it was after 1850 that the South Island was charted, as gold miners and graziers moved across the central mountain spine to the western part of the island.

The period covered by this third volume also saw the emergence of photography as a recording tool, the eventual use of aircraft for aerial mapping, and the increasing presence of women among the ranks of long-distance travellers, not least the indomitable Isabella Bird.

As the son of a geologist who studied under Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David and who still holds memories of meeting Sir Douglas Mawson as a child, for me the sections on the exploration of the Antarctic hold a special fascination. Reading of David and Mawson, of Shackleton and of Scott, it is sobering to realise that their heroic endeavours took place barely a century ago and to contemplate how severe were the privations that they overcame.

The sections dealing with the exploration of New Guinea are no less fascinating. Nowadays there is a disturbing lack of Australian interest in that great island, except by those who support the "Free Papua Movement" in ways that imperil Australia's relations with Indonesia. For instance, how many Australians are aware of the early expeditions that opened up the interior and are detailed here: the work of Charles Karius and Ivan Champion in 1926 and 1927, and of Jack Hides and James O'Malley in 1935?

Dwelling on the regions of the world just noted reflects the reviewer's interests, but there is something in this volume for everyone. While the ill-fated expedition of John Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage was covered in the second volume of the encyclopedia, the first series of search expeditions have their rightful place in the present volume. The extent to which much of the Pacific remained outside the claims of European and American powers until late in the nineteenth century is made clear. As Howgego correctly observes, "British and French governments saw little urgency in taking responsibility for what they regarded as distant collections of small islands of scant economic value ..." As with the previous two volumes, there is a real pleasure in coming upon an explorer or traveller whose name and exploits were previously unknown to this reader. I cite just two, Elizabeth Bisland and Hector James. The first sprang from Louisiana's plantation class, worked with Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, and then for its rival, John Walker's Cosmopolitan. When, in 1889, Pulitzer decided to sponsor an attempt at a round-the-world travel record by his employee Nellie Bly, Walker sent Bisland off as a competitor in the opposite direction. Missing a boat in Le Havre, Bisland arrived back in New York four days after Bly had returned in seventy-two days, to miss out on Bly's fame, and to retire to genteel anonymity.

Hector James, whose name will undoubtedly be known to New Zealanders, was born in Edinburgh, where his lawyer father was an associate of Sir Walter Scott's, for whom the elder James translated and transcribed old manuscripts. Although trained as a medical doctor, James made his name as a geologist and his importance as an explorer comes, unusually, from expeditions in both Canada and New Zealand. In the latter he played an important part in opening up a crossing from the west to the east coast of the South Island, in 1863, under severe conditions, later becoming the director of the Geological Survey and Colonial Museum in Wellington.

The volume, like its predecessors, is beautifully produced, robustly bound, with the present-day rarity of silk marker ribbons. It is a credit to both the compiler and to its publishers. It is striking to record that once the final volume in this series is published, the total of text will run to some four million words, which will make the encyclopedia one of the longest single-authored works in the English language. With quality matched to length, it is a notable achievement that this publication should be taking place in Australia.

Milton Osborne, an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Asian Studies, the Australian National University, and visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute, has written extensively on the exploration of the Mekong River. He reviewed the previous two volumes of The Encyclopedia of Exploration in the April 2003 and December 2004 issues. All three volumes are available from www.hordern.com/publications/explorers.htm.

Source: www.hordern.com


NOTE: A review by Beau Riffenburgh appears in the Polar Record, vol 43, No 1, pp 75-76.


SUMMARY

What's immediately obvious is that this 3-volume set is beautifully produced. The paper, binding, design, printing and presentation are all of high quality. With regard to these points it far surpasses the other titles which are serviceable but not overly handsome. It's a pleasure to hold these volumes.

Possibly the most impressive thing about this effort (apparently a 4th volume is planned) is that it's been undertaken by one person and not a stable of contributors.

The writing is elegant and a joy to read. I personally don't care for the way dates are presented (e.g. "On 23.11.35 Ellsworth and. . .") but that is small point. One very often comes upon facts that don't appear in any of the other titles. In just one example, who knew that Richard Byrd "had come face to face with bandits in the Philippines"?

Unlike some titles, the entries on people do not concentrate just on the Antarctic portion of their lives, but give details on what came before and after, making for a far fuller and more interesting entry.

The volumes are large and heavy and the text somewhat smaller than the other volumes but this doesn't seem to hinder their use. They easily lie flat.

The entries are generally longer than in other titles (nearly 2-1/2 pages per average entry) and the persons or subjects treated are necessarily more selective, although many persons and subjects are mentioned in the entries for others and can be found using the indexes.

The lack of maps or illustratons may be considered a disadvantage by some. On the other hand, it has been possible to include more text by leaving them out.

Although not in itself a disadvantage, the fact that the coverage not only includes the Arctic but the rest of the world, means that there is more material here than the typical Antarctican will want or need.

It would be nice to have an electronic version of some sort. The only title that offers this option is MILLS.

Unlike most of the other titles, there is no supplementary material such as an exploration timeline which would be useful and not difficult to produce.

The bibliographies at the end of each entry are thorough and comprehensive and far more extensive than any other title. The first entry in the ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION: HISTORICAL OVERVIEW section is Aagaard's Fangst og forskning i Sydishavet which is largely unknown, in Norwegian and very scarce—but also one of the great works of Antarctic scholarship. Few errors in the bibliographic entries jumped out at me. Bob Headland's Chronological List is mentioned, specifically the second edition of 2005. That's wishful thinking! Bob is still carrying around the galleys and still is having 'problems' with maps.

The entry for Frederick Cook has him attending the College of Physicians and Surgeons which is part of Columbia University not New York University. A small and unimportant point. Without having read most of the entries, it's hard to know how frequently one would come upon errors, but my hunch is that it would be rare.



Exploring Polar Frontiers; A Historical Encyclopedia by William James Mills


Exploring Polar Frontiers; A Historical Encyclopedia

Author: William James Mills
Publisher: Santa Barbara, Denver, Oxford: ABC CLIO
Date: 2003 (December)
ISBN: 1-57607-423-4 (different than what's on the book itself)
Binding: Paper covered pictorial boards
Dustwrapper: No
Endpapers: Plain
Pages: Two volumes. I: 1-388; II: 389-797
Paper: Acid free paper.
Size: Quarto. 8-3/8 x 10-15/16 inches; 212 x 278 mm
Weight: 5 lbs 5 oz; 2.41 kilograms
Illustrations: Some black and white illustrations mostly historic.
Maps: Yes
Tables/figures: Some
Price: $115 (published at $230)
Other features: Also available as an e-book at $230.
Website: www.abc-clio.com
Includes details on the e-book version.
Notes:
    Advisory Committee:
        William Barr
        Ann Savours
        Erki Tammiksaar
        Geoff Renner
    Contributors:
        David Clammer
        Sir Ranulph Fiennes
        Jenny Mai Handford
        Rear Admiral John Myres
        Geoff Renner
        David Stam
Area: Arctic and Antarctic
Timeframe: 325 B.C. to 2001
CONTENTS:
Vol I
      Contents (Entries in Alphabetical Order by Volume) v-x
      Entries Listed in Chronological Order xi-xviii
      Entries Listed by Category xix-xxii
      Maps (20 outline maps in black and white) xxiii
      Introduction xlv-xlvi
      Alphabetical entries A-L 1-388
Vol II
      Contents (Entries in Alphabetical Order by Volume) v-x
      Alphabetical entries M-Z 389-723
      Glossary 725-730
      Polar Timeline: A Chronological Listing of Polar Expeditions by Region 731-739
      Selected Bibliography 741-767
      Index 769-795
      About the Author 797
Typical Entry: Name (followed by birth and death dates) or title followed by Text followed by a 'See also' section and 'References and Further Reading.' Those entries prepared by others are signed.
The entries are laid out in two columns throughout.
Generally expeditions are included in entries for the leader rather than the name of the expedition.

Some of the Particularly Noteworthy Entries:
      Libraries on polar expeditions (2.25 pages)
      Medals (1.75 pages)

From the publisher's website:
Description:

Covers the entire history of Arctic and Antarctic exploration, from the voyage of Pytheas ca. 325 B.C. to the present, in one convenient, comprehensive reference resource.

The next decade will see centennial celebrations marking the heroic age of the great polar explorers: Robert Falcon Scott, Roald Amundsen, and Sir Ernest Shackleton. From Pytheas's voyage to the Arctic Circle in 325 B.C. to Børge Ousland's solo crossing of the Arctic Ocean in 2001, the history of our quest to conquer the poles is filled with tales of courage, inspiration, tragedy, and triumph.

Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia is the only reference work that provides a comprehensive history of polar exploration from the ancient period through the present day. The author is a noted polar scholar and offers dramatic accounts of all major explorers and their expeditions, together with separate exploration histories for specific islands, regions, and uncharted waters. He presents a wealth of fascinating information under a variety of subject entries including methods of transport, myths, achievements, and record-breaking activities.

By approaching polar exploration biographically, geographically, and topically, Mills reveals a number of intriguing connections between the various explorers, their patrons and times, and the process of discovery in all areas of the polar regions. Furthermore, he provides the reader with a clear understanding of the intellectual climate as well as the dominant social, economic, and political forces surrounding each expedition. Readers will learn why the journeys were undertaken, not just where, when, and how.

Title Features

• 511 A-Z biographical, geographical, and subject entries on polar exploration such as dogs, man-hauling, Elephant Island, South Georgia, and major explorers such as Sir John Franklin, Fridtjof Nansen, and Richard Byrd

• Extensive collection of photographs, many taken by expedition participants

• Vivid illustrations, including woodcuts and drawings

• 20 maps detailing Arctic and Antarctic regions

• Chronology of expeditions beginning with the voyage of Pytheas in 325 B.C. through the present

Highlights

• The only title to tell the stories of all major polar expeditions, Arctic and Antarctic

• Numerous great stories, many that rival Roald Amundsen's journey to the South Pole and Sir Ernest Shackleton's Endurance voyage

• Examines the intellectual, social, economic, and political forces surrounding each expedition."

Source: www.abc-clio.com


SUMMARY

When I first obtained a copy of this title and consulted it a few times I concluded that it really wasn't very helpful. I seemed to seldom find what I was looking for. I've since concluded otherwise.

Like HOWGEGO, MILLS has fewer entries than some titles but they are longer, nearly as long as HOWGEGO (an average of 2.23 pages versus 2.47). So it's not particularly suitable for quickly looking up some fact like the spelling or a name or a birthdate.

The author sadly died shortly after the book appeared (he was the librarian at Scott Polar Research Institure). Comments have been made that some errors weren't caught in the rush to publication. Without reading it through I can't attest to this. (One I came upon was incorrectly locating the East Hampton Library in Connecticut rather than on Long Island, NewYork. Another: It's Henryk Bull not Henrik.)

The Timeline in Vol II is not particularly useful although the concept is fine: Dates on one side and geographic region along the top. But the entries themselves are merely last names with no commentary (e.g. Cooper alone rather than Mercator Cooper, first documented landing on the Antarctic continent). The 'Entries Listed in Chronological Order' in Vol I is more useful as some descriptive information is included.

The Advisory Committee and Contributors are all knowledgeable. Entries by the Contributors are signed but these are not numerous so most of what appears was apparently the work of William Mills.

The few black and white illustrations are generally well-selected and complement the text well.

The 'Selected Bibliography' is lengthy and comprehensive.



Encyclopedia of the Antarctic edited by Beau Riffenburgh

Encyclopedia of the Antarctic

Author: Beau Riffenburgh, Editor
Publisher: New York and London: Routledge
Date: 2007 (October 25, 2006 on publisher's website but 2007 on copyright page)
ISBN: 0-415-97024-5
Binding: Paper covered pictorial boards
Dustwrapper: No
Endpapers: Plain
Pages: Two volumes. I: 1-579 plus 86 pp. index; II: 581-1146 plus 86 pp. index
Size: Quarto. 8-3/8 x 10-15/16 inches; 212 x 278 mm
Weight: 7 lbs 14 oz; 3.57 kilograms
Illustrations: Very few
Maps: Yes
Tables/figures: Tables, diagrams
Price: £285. $425
Other features: There appears to be no electronic version.
Website: www.routledge-ny.com
Not nearly as informative about the title as the Hordern House site.
Notes: Emphasis is primarily on science.
Area: Antarctic
Timeframe: To the present

CONTENTS:
Vol I
vii Advisory Board
ix-xviii Contributors
xix-xxi Introduction (Beau Riffenburgh)
How to use this book
Acknowledgments
xxiii-xxix List of Entries A-Z
xxxi- Thematic List of Entries
Atmosphere and Climate
Birds
Conservation and Human Impact
Geography
Geology
Glaciology
History, Exploration, and History of Science
Marine Biology
Marine Mammals
Oceanography
Research Programs, International Organizations, Atlantic Treaty System
Sea Ice
Solar-Terrestrial Physics and Astronomy
Technology and Transport
Terrestrial Biology and Limnology
xxxvii Map of Antarctica
xxxix Map of the Antarctic Peninsula
1-579 Alphabetical entries A-K
1-86 Index (covers both volumes)
Vol II
vii Advisory Board (same as in Vol I)
ix-xviii Contributors (same as in Vol I)
xix-xxi Introduction (Beau Riffenburgh) (same as in Vol I)
How to use this book
Acknowledgments
xxiii-xxix List of Entries A-Z (same as in Vol I)
xxxi- Thematic List of Entries (same as in Vol I)
Atmosphere and Climate
Birds
Conservation and Human Impact
Geography
Geology
Glaciology
History, Exploration, and History of Science
Marine Biology
Marine Mammals
Oceanography
Research Programs, International Organizations, Atlantic Treaty System
Sea Ice
Solar-Terrestrial Physics and Astronomy
Technology and Transport
Terrestrial Biology and Limnology
xxxvii Map of Antarctica (same as in Vol I)
xxxix Map of the Antarctic Peninsula (same as in Vol I)
581-1108 Alphabetical entries L-Z
1109-14 Appendix I: Chronology of Antarctic Exploration
1115-18 Appendix II: The Antarctic Treaty
1119-21 Appendix III: Signatories to the Antarctic Treaty
1123 Appendix IV: SCAR Code of Conduct for Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes in Antarctica
1125-33 Appendix V: Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
1135 Appendix VI: Scientific Research Stations in the Antarctic Region
1137 Appendix VII: Antarctic Academic Journals
1139-46 Maps (17 in all)
1-86 Index (covers both volumes)

Typical Entry: Name or title followed by Text followed by a 'See also' section and 'References and Further Reading.' Example: SCOTT, ROBERT FALCON. In this instance the entry gives no information on his childhood or early years in the Royal Navy. The entry is two pages in length.
The entries are laid out in double columns throughout.

Some of the Particularly Noteworthy Entres:
Aviation, History of (extensive)
Christensen Antarctic Expeditions (1927-1937). Extensive treatments of little known expeditions (5 pages)
All the national scientific programs and stations are described.
Photography, History of in the Antarctic (2.75 pages)
Ponies and Mules (2.25 pages)
Protected Areas Within the Antarctic Treaty Area (12 pages)
Sealing, History of (2.25 pages)
Whaling, History of (3.75 pages)
Contributors: Among the many contributors are the following historians, writers, etc. (Entries are signed by the contributors.)
H.J.P. Arnold
Philip Ayres
Susan Barr
Bjørn Basberg
Tim Baughman
David Burke
Bob Burton
G.E. Fogg
Bill Fox
Rai Goerler
David Harrowfield
T.J. Jacka
Michael Rosove
Jeff Rubin
Ann Savours
Michael Smith
Peter Speak
Bernard Stonehouse
John Thomson
David W.H. Walton
About the Title

"The Antarctic is unique, geographically, politically, and scientifically. It is the most remote, hostile, and dangerous continent, while at the same time it is the most pristine and least developed. Antarctica is the only major part of the Earth's landmass not directly governed by one nation, but under the control of a Treaty, with a multitude of acceding nations.

The Encyclopedia of the Antarctic brings together large quantities of information on the wide variety of factors, issues and individuals influencing and relating to the Antarctic. No comparable book currently exists for this region.

The Encyclopedia of the Antarctic discusses scientific activities and topics, but the 'human element' is also a significant part of the work, with entries on history, politics, legal issues, national research programs, scientific bases, historic huts, the United Nation's 'Question of Antarctica,' compliance with the Environmental Protocol, and tourism."
Source: www.routledge-ny.com

The Encyclopedia of the Antarctic comprises 495 free-standing, alphabetically ordered entries of 500 to 6000 words in length. These range from factual, data-driven entries, such as biographies, wildlife details, and statements about national Antarctic programmes, to longer overviews on major themes and analytical discussions of issues that are of significant interest to both scientific rsearchers and the general public, such as climate change, conservation, geopolitics, biogeoography, and pollution.
Source: From the Introduction.


SUMMARY

This title—the newest of the lot—has a lot in common with MILLS. The overall design, look and feel are very similar (2 volumes, binding, page layout.) There are almost no illustrations, however.

For Antarcticans, the advantage of this title is that it's exclusively Antarctic.

This title has more entries (of an historical/cultural nature, that is) than either HOWGEGO or MILLS but less than the others. The average length of these entries is 1.8 pages. The historical/cultural entries make up approximately 20% of the book The Contributors are numerous and impressive; among the leading lights of their respective fields. The list stretches over 10 pages.

Although the historical/cultural side of Antarctic exploration is certainly covered well, it is the scientific side of things that is the focus of this title. This makes it unlike the other titles.

The Appendices are useful although mainly to the scientific user.

The Chronology of Antarctic Exploration is excellent, beginning in 1487 and ending with the IGY 1957-58. It focuses exclusively on expeditions and voyages and includes is the date, name of the expedition or voyage, the leader, the name(s) of the ship(s) and the accompishments.

My biggest complaint with the set is it's price: $425, the highest price of any of the titles discussed here.

Being the newest title, there should be an electronic version but apparently not.




Antarctica; An Encyclopedia by John Stewart

Antarctica; An Encyclopedia

Author: John Stewart
Publisher: Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland & Company, Inc.
Date: c1990
ISBN: 0-89950-470-1
Binding: Cloth
Dustwrapper: No
Endpapers: Plain
Pages: Two volumes. I: 1-597; II: 598-1193
Size: Octavo. 5-7/8 x 9 inches; 150 x 228 mm
Weight: 4 lbs 5 oz; 1.96 kilograms
Illustrations: No
Maps: No
Tables/figures: No
Price: Out-of-print. ($113 or more; one source says $200 was published price). (12 copies on AbeBooks.com ranging from $20 (1 of 2 volumes) to $206.25.
Other features: Because of size, easier to use than other, larger encyclopedias.
Website: www.mcfarlandpub.com
Notes: Based on the average number of entries of 10 selected pages (14.5), this encyclopedia has about 16,000 entries.
Area: Antarctic
Timeframe: The Chronology in Vol II starts in 1502 and ends in 1990.

CONTENTS:
Vol I
vii Foreword (Sir Edmund Hillary)
ix Table of Contents
xi-xiv Preface
xv-xviii A Capsule History
xix-xx A Note on Alphabetization
xxi-xxii Abbreviations
1-597 Alphabetical entries A-L
Vol II
v Table of Contents (same as in Vol I)
598-1132 Alphabetical entries M-Z
1133-1160 Chronology (1502-1990)
1161-1172 Expeditions
1173-1193 Bibliography
Typical Entry: Name or title followed by Text. In the case of places, the longitude and latitude are given.
The entries are laid out in double columns throughout.
Based on the average number of entries of 10 selected pages (14.5), this encyclopedia has about 16,000 entries.
A very large proportion of the entries are topographic.

Some of the Particularly Noteworthy Subject Entries:
Aerial photography
Airplanes
Automobiles
Balloons
Births in Antarctica
Churches
Deaths in Antarctica
Disasters
Dogs
Food
Helicopters
Historic Huts
Landings
Mapping of Antarctica
Movies
Mysteries
Recreation
Sanitation
Sledges
Southing records
Stamps
Tractors


SUMMARY

STEWART's two-volume encyclopedia was the first one to appear (1990) and for a quick reference, it remains the most handy. Why? Well, the actual volumes are smaller and more easily handled and pulled off the shelf to look up something without a lot of fuss. But undoubtedly, it's biggest attribute is the number of entries: too many to actually count but by counting a typical ten pages and multiplying, I come up with 14,000 entries. (The runner up is STONEHOUSE with only 260.) This, of course, means the entries are noticeably shorter than the competition: less than a tenth of a page (the shortest in the group) versus about 2-1/2 pages for the longest entry (HOWGEGO). But the shortness of the entries serves a purpose here: fast reference.

The number of entries has the advantage of upping ones chances when looking something up. Although the answer may lurk in a larger entry in one of the other encyclopedias, one has to hunt for it. In STEWART, it's usually there, alphabetically, easy to find. Some have pointed out that STEWART isn't always absolutely accurate.

Like RIFFENBURGH, STONEHOUSE and TREWBY, it's exclusively Antarctic.

Like HOWGEGO and TREWBY, this effort is almost exculsively the work of one person. That's neither good nor bad, but it certainly is impressive.

Some have said that STEWART has lots of errors. Yes, I have found some: in the entry for the British Imperial Transantarctic Expedition (Endurance), Stewart says Shackleton, Crean and Worsley showed up "at an astonished Grytviken" when, of course, it was Stomness (p. 134). Albert Armitage's middle initial is B not P (p. 40). Gregory is noted on p. 408 as "director of the civilian staff" on Scott's Discovery expedition. He was appointed to head up the scientific staff, but resigned once he learned he would be serving under Scott and thus never actually was on the expedition. On p. 248, Edwin De Haven, a member of the US Exploring Expedition, is entered as Edmund H. De Haven. And on page 429, the steward on the Discovery was Clarence not Charles Hare. Minor errors for the most part, but after awhile as they creep up, one has to be somewhat cautious.

There are some interesting subject entries (see the listing above), more than any of the other encyclopedias offer.

Both the Chronology, Expeditions and Bibliography sections at the end of Vol II are lengthy and comprehensive. Together they total 61 pages. Pretty impressive quantitatively.

NOTE: The author e-mails to say that he's underway on a new version of his encyclopedia.



Encyclopedia of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans edited B. Stonehouse

Encyclopedia of Antarctica and the Southern Oceans

Author: B. Stonehouse, Editor
Publisher: Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Date: 2002 (September)
ISBN: 978-0-471-98665-2
Binding: Paper covered pictorial boards
Dustwrapper: No
Endpapers: Plain
Pages: 391 pp
Size: Quarto. 8-3/8 x 11 inches; 213 x 279 mm
Weight: 3 lbs; 1.36 kilograms
Illustrations: Many black & white photographic illustrations
Maps: Many in the text; 2 color maps (1 folding) in center of book
Tables/figures: Numerous
Price: $425, £275, €412.50
Other features:
Website: www.wiley.com
Notes: More for the general audience. Has advantage of illustrations
Area: Antarctica
Timeframe: To nearly the present.

CONTENTS:
[vii] List of Advisory Editors
[ix] List of Contributors
[xi]-xii Introduction (by Bernard Stonehouse)
[1]-297 Alphabetical entries
298-301 Appendix A. Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora
302-306 Appendix B. Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals
307-314 Appendix C. Convention on Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
315-335 Appendix D. Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
336-339 Text of the Antarctic Treaty
340-344 Further Reading
345-347 Study Guide: Climate and Life
348-353 Study Guide: Exploration
354-357 Study Guide: Geography
358-359 Study Guide: Geology and Glaciology
360-363 Study Guide: Information Services
364-368 Study Guide: National Interests in Antarctica
369-373 Study Guide: Protected Area under the Antarctic Treaty
374-377 Study Guide: Southern Oceans and Islands
378-391 A-Z Listing of Encyclopedia Entries
Typical Entry: Name (plus birth-death year) or title followed by Text. In case of places, latitude and longitude are given after title. The initials of the contributors are given at the end of each entry. Sometimes 'further reading' appears at end.

The entries are laid out in two columns throughout.

Some of the Particularly Noteworthy Entries:

Among the Advisory Editors in the area of Politics and History:
Klaus Dodds
Robert K. Headland
Among the Contributors in the area of History:
Klaus Dodds
Robert K. Headland
William Mills
"An up-to-date and authoritative one-volume reference offering comprehensive coverage of the biology, climatology, oceanography, geology, history and current legal, political and human aspects of the Antarctic continent and the surrounding ocean and islands.
• Edited by Dr Bernard Stonehouse - a research scientist, writer and editor with wide-ranging field experience of Antarctica and the southern oceans
• Entries from 25 eminent contributors, writing under the direction of six advisory editors, ensures an up-to-date and authoritative presentation
• Comprehensive geographical coverage, including lands, coasts, major mountain ranges and individual features, all with co-ordinates and brief descriptions, and many in-text maps
Includes study guides, offering 2-3000 words on key topics, which enable the user to follow themes of interest systematically and thematically, with key words linking to the A-Z entries within the Encyclopedia
• Features an eight page, fold-out coloured map section of the continent showing major geographical features
• Offers wide cross-disciplinary coverage of Antarctic and southern oceans from politics and sovereignty to marine zoology
• Written in a simple, straightforward style
Provides essential reading for all researchers and academics working in climatology, oceanography, geology and biology, as well as Polar researchers."
From: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471986658.html

Reviews:

"...this comprehensive tome spans subjects from the history of exploration to glaciology, geology and biology..." (New Scientist, 12 October 2002)

"...unquestionably a volume of good authority, accuracy and documentation and is a reference book that will be widely used in libraries and research institutions..." (Antarctic Science, Vol.15, No.1, 2003)

"...full of useful information...an atlas, gazetteer, dictionary, and encyclopedia all rolled into one..." (Polar Record, Vol.40 2004)



SUMMARY

This effort by Bernard Stonehouse will, I would suggest, be usurped by the more recent and more comprehensive RIFFENBURGH. There's some similarity in approach: a large number of contributors with entries pulled together by an editor, as opposed to HOWGEGO and STEWART, for instance, which are the work of single authors.

A plus is that next to STEWART, this encyclopedia has the largest number of 'historical/cultural' entries, 260. The next largest occurs in TREWBY. These two are also the shortest in overall length and the only single-volume titles. In other words, the entries are relatively numerous but not very lengthy and comprehensive.

The Study Guides at the back are perhaps useful for students. They are essentially summaries of the encyclopedia by subject area with entry titles in bold for referencing. For me, the Study Guide on Exploration is a useful summary.

The production is straightforward enough but rather boring as far as the design, typography and maps and illustrations are concerned.

The main criticism that can be levelled at the title is its cost which at $425 is far more than it should be. That's the same price as the newer and far bulkier RIFFENBURGH. Fortunately I was able to get a mint secondhand copy for $177 which is still a lot to pay.



Antarctica. An Encyclopedia from Abbott Ice Shelf to Zooplankton edited by Mary Trewby


Antarctica. An Encyclopedia from Abbott Ice Shelf to Zooplankton

Author: Mary Trewby, Editor
Publisher: Auckland, Buffalo, Toronto: FireflyBooks, Ltd.
Date: 2002 (9/7/2002)
ISBN: 1-55297-590-8
Binding: Paper covered pictorial boards
Dustwrapper: No
Endpapers: Pictorial
Pages: 208 pp
Size: Quarto. 9-1/4 x 11-7/16 inches; 234 x 291 mm
Weight: 3 lbs 3 oz; 1.45 kilograms
Illustrations: Many photographic illustrations (236) in color and black & white.
Maps: Yes
Tables/figures: No
Price: $35; Canada $35
Other features:
Website: www.fireflybooks.com
Notes: More for the general audience. Has advantage of illustrations.
Area: Antarctica
Timeframe: To the present

CONTENTS:
Contributing Editors [6]
Foreword (by Gillian Wratt, Chief Executive, New Zealand Antarctic Institute) 7
Map of Antarctica (Physical) 8-9
Map of Antarctica (Political) 10-11
Alphabetical entries 12-203
Photographic credits 203
Selected bibliography 204
Index 205-208
Typical Entry: Name or title followed by Text.
The entries are laid out in triple columns throughout with the exception of several double page two- or three-column spreads on specific subjects (icebergs, penguins, etc.).
Some of the Particularly Noteworthy Entries:
Contributors: Among the contributing editors in the area of History:
          David Harrowfield
          Baden Norris

"Catalog Description:

Arranged alphabetically and extensively cross-referenced, this fact-packed, definitive guide to Antarctica includes over 1,000 entries and 250 photographs covering climate, geology, natural history, exploration, science, tourism and conservation.

An indispensable reference for the curious, the armchair traveler, the budding scientist and the environmentalist, Antarctica will fascinate and inform about the world's last true wilderness with answers to questions such as:
      • How was Antarctica formed?
      • The effects of Antarctica's weather on the world's climate
      • The life of an iceberg
      • Life on land beneath the ice
      • The importance of the scientific work in Antarctica.

To some people, Antarctica is an uninhabited and uninhabitable vastness of ice and snow. Cold though it may be, the continent is a hotbed of scientific research and a growing tourist destination. For all its remoteness, Antarctica is more accessible than ever before. More than 250 flights land at the South Pole each summer and cruise ships bring 12,000 tourists.

Designated since 1959 as a natural reserve devoted to peace and research, Antarctica is host to scientists working on everything from the origin of black holes to climate change to understanding the movements of icebergs the size of Delaware.

Antarctica: An Encyclopedia from Abbot Ice Shelf to Zooplankton covers the natural wonders, wildlife, explorers, adventurers and discoveries that have been made at the bottom of the world."

Reviews:

A handsome addition to a coffee table... a required purchase for libraries.
—John Splettstoesser Arctic: Journal of the Arctic Institute of North America 2003 12

This beautifully illustrated guide to Antarctica features a true encyclopedia layout, with over 1000 concise, alphabetically arranged entries and 250 photographs that cover natural history, climate, geology, tourism, and more.
—Betty Galbraith Library Journal 2002 10

Concise articles...illustrated by fine photographs (many in color) and maps...substantial bibliography... Reasonably priced, recommended for all levels.
—D.W. Heron Choice 2003 01

A highly readable and definitive reference.
Globe and Mail 2002 11 23

A good basic Antarctica search engine in book form. - Pat Burkette Victoria Times-Colonist 2002 12 01 With nearly 1,000 entries and a wealth of stunning photographs and illustrative maps, this resource will be frequently used to answer both simple and complex questions.
Booklist 2003 03 01

Invites readers to browse its pages ... as much a coffee table book as a reference book.
—Travis Dolence E-Streams 2003 06

About The Author

Produced by the award-winning documentary company Natural History New Zealand, this book captures the landscape, wildlife and atmosphere of Antarctica as well as the fascinating detail of its history and science. The work of highly qualified researchers was reviewed by a panel of international experts to ensure accuracy, while the mix of historic and modern photographs illustrate every facet of the frozen continent.



SUMMARY

Without question what jumps out about Mary Trewby's effort is the very affordable price, only $35, by far the lowest price of any of those included here. Given that alone, there's little reason not to purchase a copy.

The production is more attractive than some and included are some good photographs, both historical and modern and in color and black and white.

It's the shortest of the titles discussed, 192 pages versus the 1,374 of the two HOWGEGO volumes. But there are quite a few 'historical/cultural' entries (163) although their length average about a third of page (only STEWART's are shorter).

Some of the entries are disappointedly short of information. The one on Shackleton's Nimrod, for instance, says little more than that it was used by Shackleton and that it was towed by Koonya. Nothing about where or when it was built, how long it was, what happened to it, etc.


RECAP

All six of these titles have pluses and minuses.
HOWGEGO is unquestionably the most attractive and best produced, has the most detailed and best written entries and is the most impressive when it comes to what one person can accomplish. On the other hand, it's not exclusively polar.

The entries in MILLS are lengthier and more comprehensive than many of the others; both polar regions are included; and the price has come down. It is the only title that is also available in an electronic version.

RIFFENBURGH is the newest of the lot and tied for first on price: $425. Only the Antarctic is dealt with. A good combination of science oriented entries and historical/cultural. Will probably be the standard Antarctic encyclopedia for some time.

STEWART has the advantage of having far and above the most entries and they are all Antarctic oriented. For quick reference, it's the one to have close at hand. Perhaps more errors have crept in than with the other titles.

STONEHOUSE is possibly the one to skip mainly because it's the same high price as the newer RIFFENBURGH and is far less comprehensive.

It's hard to turn up TREWBY. If it were $150 or $100, one could do without it; but at $35, it belongs on all Antarcticans' shelves.


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