Books

Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places (2009, by Bill Streever) This book contains an evocative collection of reflections on the Arctic by Bill Streever, an Alaska native and chair of the North Slope Science Initiative’s Science Technical Advisory Panel. Whether depicting the adventures of Arctic explorers or describing the science behind global warming, Streever writes with enthusiasm in a highly readable style. The magic, harshness, and fragility of the Arctic are all apparent in this book, which is full of both factoids and stories. The New York Times favorably reviewed Cold here, in July.

Arctic Politics: Conflict and Cooperation in the Circumpolar North (1992, by Oran Young) Oran Young is one of the leading scholars in the field of Arctic international relations. This book of his is a good starting point for becoming acquainted with the politics of the High North. The book starts with a discussion of mankind’s age-old fascination with the poles and then covers the political and military dimensions of the Arctic. Young also writes about less discussed, but just as interesting, topics such as indigenous and animal rights in the Arctic.

Polar Politics: Creating International Environmental Regimes (1994, Edited by Oran Young and Gail Osherenko) This book analyzes the successes and failures of environmental treaties governing the Arctic.
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To keep up with recent publications on the Arctic, you can check out Russell Potter’s blog at http://arcticbookreview.blogspot.com/. Potter is an expert on Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition to the Arctic in 1845.

Atlases

Atlas des Pôles (2007, Editions Autrement) A French-language atlas on the North and South Poles. The French produce some of the best atlases and geographical works in the world, so if you speak French, you’re in luck. The book includes maps on topics as diverse as the location of indigenous communities to polar cinema.
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Films

Noí (2003) Just for fun, this is an Icelandic coming-of-age movie about a troubled albino adolescent living in a rural village in Iceland. Set against an astouding backdrop of glaciers, snowy peaks, and blizzards, the film gives a good introduction to what life is like living near the Arctic Circle.