Customer Reviews:
 An intro to the Arctic August 21, 2008
I bought this before a trip to Spitsbergen and immediately came across a big problem; though it claims to cover the Arctic, it only covers the Canadian and Greenland Arctic. Spitsbergen, Scandinavia and siberia are not covered explicitly. Of course, a lot of what it covers is relevant, but you need another book to tell you which bits!
On the plus side, it is well organised with each main topic in a chapter. The opening to each chapter was excellent - a clear introduction to the general principles of glaciation, climate etc. These are thorough and without mystifying jargon. I actually felt I understood the reasons for midnight sun, midday moon etc. The detail that follows in each chapter is good too, but the black and white line drawings look old fashioned.
Definitely worth reading - even if you are going to Spitsbergen - but not a book to take with you.
 Much better than I expected January 20, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I had to research Arctic plants and animals recently and had no time to go to a bookshop. I took a real chance on buying this book unseen from Amazon; at over 300 pages long, I fully expected it to be as dry as dust. I was delighted to find that the book pulls off a double miracle: it is both incredibly readable and enjoyable and also a very comprehensive guide to Arctic plants and wildlife. Although it's probably intended as a field guide and reference book, you can -- as I did -- read it from cover to cover as a general briefing on Arctic nature.
Prof Pielou writes in a style that I'd describe as authoritative and reliable, but also cosy, engaging, and engrossing. She clearly knows her subject backwards, but she doesn't write like an academic or an expert showing off her knowledge: she's like the best kind of teacher, delighted to share what she knows, and her enthusiasm is very infectious.
The book doesn't just include plants and animals: it also covers the Arctic climate, terrain (permafrost, glaciers etc), and atmosphere. The flora/fauna section does take up most of the book, however, and includes plant life, birds, mammals, fish, and insects. The author's very good at explaining all the many ingenious ways in which creatures and plants are adapted to polar extremes.
As an added bonus, the book also includes lots of great little black and white sketches and maps by the author. Much more evocative than photos, I found, and they suit the style of the text very well.
This book was a real find and I thoroughly recommend it both to naturalists and people who just want to visit the Arctic by armchair.
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