Science and the Canadian Arctic
A Century of Exploration, 1818–1918

"In history it is essential to tell the story, providing the opulent complexity that comes from extensive reading in the primary printed sources and in the manuscripts. Levere does this...Levere will edify you and engage you." Gregory A. Good, Science

""...a rich and absorbing record of the tensions and rivalries underlying nineteenth-century scientific endeavors throughout the Arctic region. The conflicting claims of painstaking investigative study and territorial ambitions are well highlighted..."' Times Literary Supplement, July 29, 1994

"...an astonishing vista..." Lewis Pyenson, American Scientist

"...an impressive display of wide and well-integrated scholarship...interestingly and copiously illustrated..." The Northern Mariner

"Trevor Levere's brilliant, extremely wide-ranging study of science in arctic Canada leaves almost no stone unturned...imparts information regarding the early background and more recent developments and discoveries in subjects as diverse as geology, mineralogy, hydrography, meteorology, goemagnetism, astronomy...an extremely valuable survey and reference work, an open sesame to almost any subject, covers the political, social, military and economic contexts of science in the northern half of North America. It is a must for every major library..." C. Stuart Houston, Book Reviews

"Levere's book is the first comprehensive examination of scientific activity in the Canadian arctic islands from 1818 to 1918, and it is truly an impressive work. Drawing on a masterful understanding of the physical and natural sciences and an exhaustive reading of the various sources, Levere has produced a richly informed assessment of the motives underlying arctic science, the investigators and their activities, and the discoveries and advances. Little is overlooked. Levere is just as comfortable discussing techniques and instruments as he is personalities and politics. The story is also amply supplemented by maps, sketches, and photographs that nicely complement the text....Levere is to be commended for what should quickly prove to be the standard reference work on the subject. He has tackled a formidable project and produced a fine piece of scholarship on the Arctic." W. A. Waiser, American Historical Review

"...Levere has succeeded brilliantly...a captivating and well-researched history of the science carried out in the Canadian Arctic during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries." Hannah Gay, Canadian Historical Review

"...Reading this book was a pleasure. It has much to commend it..." George Luste, Victorian Studies