The Last Imaginary Place: A Human History of the Arctic World

The Last Imaginary Place: A Human History of the Arctic World
Robert McGhee (Author)
(7)

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Arctic

The Arctic of towering icebergs and midnight sun, of flaming auroras and endless winter nights, has long provoked flights of the imagination. Now, in The Last Imaginary Place, renowned archeologist Robert McGhee lifts the veil to reveal the true Arctic world. Based on thirty years of work with native peoples of the Arctic and travel in the region, McGhee’s account dispels notions of the frozen land as an exotic, remote world that exists apart from civilization.

Between the frigid reality and lurid fantasy lies McGhee’s true interest, the people who throughout human history have called the Arctic home. He paints a vivid portrait of Viking farmers, entrepreneurial Inuit, and Western explorers who have been seduced by the natural wealth and haunting beauty of this land. From lively accounts of fur trading, ivory hunting, and whaling to white-knuckle tales of the first, doomed expeditions, McGhee takes the reader on a whirlwind journey across this disorienting, dreamlike terrain that has fascinated mankind for centuries.

 

“In prose infused by his position as curator of Arctic archaeology at the Canadian Museum of Civilization—which has taken him to sites in several countries—McGhee demolishes some persistent illusions about the white North . . . evocative.”—Times Literary Supplement

 

“[A] compelling account . . . [McGhee] believes that the Arctic is not so much a region as a dream—what he sees as a dream of a unique, attractive world . . . An archaeologist who has spent thirty years there, the author lets his love for the region shine through on every page.—Booklist

 

“McGhee displays the powerful attractions of the top of the world . . . [his] prose . . . sparkles like frost in the midnight sun.”—Financial Times

 

“McGhee has written a sensitive, fascinating and extremely important book.”—Canadian Geographic

• Rank: #97130 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 9.25" h x .71" w x 6.14" l, .91 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

Description #1 by Barnes & Noble - GreatBookPrices:

Categories: Arctic regions, Earth sciences, Arctic regions. Contributors: Robert McGhee - Author. Format: Paperback

Description #2 by Overstock.com:

The Arctic of towering icebergs and midnight sun, of flaming auroras and endless winter nights, has long provoked flights of the imagination. Now, in The Last Imaginary Place , renowned archeologist Robert McGhee lifts the veil to reveal the true Arctic world. Based on thirty years of work with native peoples of the Arctic and travel in the region, McGhee's account dispels notions of the frozen land as an exotic, remote world that exists apart from civilization. Between the frigid reality and lurid fantasy lies McGhee's true interest, the people who throughout human history have called the Arctic home. He paints a vivid portrait of Viking farmers, entrepreneurial Inuit, and Western explorers who have been seduced by the natural wealth and haunting beauty of this land. From lively accounts of fur trading, ivory hunting, and whaling to white-knuckle tales of the first, doomed expeditions, McGhee takes the reader on a whirlwind journey across this disorienting, dreamlike terrain that has fascinated mankind for centuries. In prose infused by his position as curator of Arctic archaeology at the Canadian Museum of Civilizationwhich has taken him to sites in several countriesMcGhee demolishes some persistent illusions about the white North . . . evocative. Times Literary Supplement [A] compelling account . . . [McGhee] believes that the Arctic is not so much a region as a dreamwhat he sees as a dream of a unique, attractive world . . . An archaeologist who has spent thirty years there, the author lets his love for the region shine through on every page. Booklist McGhee displays the powerful attractio...

Description #3 by eBay:

author robert mcghee format paperback language english publication year 07 03 2008 subject history military subject 2 history world general title the last imaginary place a human history of the arctic world author robert mcghee publisher univ of chicago pr publication date may 15 2007 pages 296 binding paperback dimensions 6 00 wx 9 25 hx 0 75 d isbn 0226500896 subject science earth sciences general description the arctic of towering icebergs and midnight sun of flaming auroras and endless win