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list price: $21.95
edition:Paperback
also available: eBook
category: History
published: Sep 2014
ISBN:9781771510844
publisher: TouchWood Editions

John Rae's Arctic Correspondence, 1844-1855

by John Rae, foreword by Ken McGoogan

tagged: expeditions & discoveries, polar regions, oceania
Description

Although Arctic explorer and Hudson Bay Company surveyor John Rae (1813–1893) travelled and recorded the final uncharted sections of the Northwest Passage, he is best known for his controversial discovery of the fate of the lost Franklin Expedition of 1845. Based on evidence given to him by local Inuit, Rae determined that Franklin’s crew had resorted to cannibalism in their final, desperate days. Seen as maligning a national hero, Rae was shunned by British society.

This collection of personal correspondence—reissued here for the first time since its original publication in 1953—illuminates the details of Rae’s expeditions through his own words. The letters offer a glimpse into Rae’s daily life, his ideas, musings, and troubles. Prefaced by the original, thorough introduction detailing his early life, John Rae’s Arctic Correspondence is a crucial resource for any Arctic enthusiast.

This new edition features a foreword by researcher and Arctic enthusiast Ken McGoogan, the award-winning author of eleven books, including Fatal Passage: The Untold Story of John Rae (HarperCollins, 2002).

About the Authors

John Rae

Born in Orkney, John Rae (1813–1893) trained as a surgeon and was an employee of the Hudson’s Bay Company until the age of 44. Travelling in small groups, and using Inuit techniques, he explored substantial sections of the north coast of North America. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Rae was awarded the Founder’s Gold Medal for his explorations and received several honorary degrees.

Ken McGoogan is the globe-trotting Canadian author of seventeen books—mostly nonfiction narratives but also novels and memoirs. His bestselling titles include Searching for Franklin, Fatal Passage, Lady Franklin’s Revenge, and Canada’s Undeclared War: Fighting Words from the Literary Trenches. His most recent release, Shadows of Tyranny: Defending Democracy in an Age of Dictatorship, explores how figures like Donald Trump replay many aspects of the authoritarianism that spread in the middle of the last century.

McGoogan’s many accolades include the Pierre Berton Award for Popular History and the University of British Columbia Medal for Canadian Biography. A fellow of the Explorers Club and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, McGoogan sails as a resource historian with Adventure Canada. He was born in Montreal, has lived in towns and cities across the country, and now resides in Guelph, ON.

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