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Cold Comfort, First Edition

My Love Affair with the Arctic

Graham W. Rowley

An engaging reminiscence of the end of an era in arctic exploration.

McGill-Queen's Native and Northern Series  #13


Paper 9780773518230
Release date:  1998-08-03
CA $29.95  |  US $29.95  |  UK £14.95

Cloth 9780773513938
Release date:  1996-06-11
CA $95.00  |  US $95.00  |  UK £29.00

320pp
48 illustrations and 10 maps

Subjects:
History: Canadian: Northern   Biography/Autobiography/Life Writing   Exploration & Travel Studies  

In 1936 the least-known area of Canada was the west coast of Baffin Island, part of which was still unexplored. Graham Rowley went to the Arctic as the archaeologist of a small British expedition to map and investigate this uncharted area. Cold Comfort is a personal account of his experiences in the North before World War II and his remembrances of a bygone age in arctic history.

Rowley documents an era of arctic exploration of which little has been written and which is fast passing from living memory. He captures the traditional way of life in the North before the dramatic changes of the last half century. A member of the last expedition in the Canadian North to depend on traditional techniques, Rowley recounts how they lived as the Inuit did and travelled by dogsled over unexplored land. He describes the isolation, the extraordinary vicissitudes of travel in a sometimes savage environment, and the generosity and kindness of the Inuit.

Apart from completing the map of Baffin Island's coastline and finding new islands, Rowley excavated the first pure Dorset site near Igloolik, establishing the Dorset culture beyond doubt. The carvings and artifacts found there, illustrations of which are included in this book, remain among the best and most beautiful that have been recovered.

Based on his own diary and the diaries of other members of the expedition, Rowley's captivating story presents the perceptions of a young man faced with a completely alien, yet fascinating, environment and culture. A true and often exciting tale of discovery, Cold Comfort will appeal to a wide audience as well as to those concerned with the Arctic in general. It is an invaluable source for those who specialize in the archaeology, anthropology, geography, and history of northern Canada.

Review quotes
"A jewel for armchair anthropologists, adventurers, and history buffs." Winnipeg Free Press

"Rowley is a superb storyteller and his writing a joy to read." Northern Review

"A valuable cultural artefact." Montreal Gazette


Graham W. Rowley (1912-2003) was a research professor of northern and Native studies at Carleton University.

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