Lost in the Arctic: Explorations on the Edge

By Lawrence Millman

Book Overview

Lawrence Millman writes stylish, often wildly amusing tales of remote places and offbeat characters (from the South Pacific islands of Yap to eccentric author and explorer Hassoldt Davis, a literary man-of-action whose many brushes with death including being paralyzed by an African sorcerer). He specializes in unsolved mysteries (what really happened to the great explorer Henry Hudson after his men mutinied and cast him off in an open boat?) and odd myths. And he is not immune to misadventures of his own, often landing in extremely uncomfortable or dangerous situations in his pursuit of new--and sometimes very, very old--places, cultures, and experiences. From the experience of being marooned on an uncharted island in the Arctic to an encounter with Kodiak bears in Alaska, this collection features 17 new pieces--punctuated by a scattering of Millman's best work from more than two decades. Readers will meet Icelandic revolutionaries, visit museum exhibits of penis pins,and unearth the remains of frozen explorers--whose fate Millman has so far managed to avoid--and will quickly come to understand why this writer's work has evoked favorable comparisons with the likes of Redmond O'Hanlon and Bruce Chatwin. "Millman's a genius."--Annie Dillard "He is that rare traveler--a person with guts and a sense of humor. He is also a wonderful writer."--Paul Theroux

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560254114
• ISBN13: 9781560254119
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

arctic journeys and jaunts

This work, like all those by Millman, combines a keen eye and deft pen for describing the manifold wonders of the landscape at the top of the continent. What makes Millman's work so different and much more interesting than similar efforts by others in this vein, is his irreverant sense of humour and appreciation of the Absurd in much of what he sees and experiences. Simply put, this book is a joy to become immersed in. And it is for this reason that I am grateful that Millman agreed to write one of the front-end blurbs for my recently published book (by Green Frigate Books) entitled Deep Immersion: The Experience of Water.