Men Against the Frozen North

Previously I read another of Calder's books about Northern Africa. They were similar in style, but the Northern Africa book was hands down more engaging. In that case he was appointed by UNESCO to report on scientific advances in the countries he visited, and the United Nations organisation again stumped up money for this journey. Published in 1957 the travel takes place the year prior I believe.

Calder obviously has the ability to convince people (officials mostly) that his ambitions are worthy - many go far out of their way to help him, from flights to accommodation, from assisting him with ground or sea transport to putting him up for weeks at a time when the weather demands it, or just going out of their way to show him things.

If I am honest, this one wore me down pretty quickly. Perhaps it is the location - the Canadian north, but I don't think it was this. Calder is the king of the information dump. He burns through statistics and facts about people I have never heard of and will never hear of again. He recounts side stories while narrating his own, he covers topics far and wide as they cross his path. It reminds me of another author I read a bit too much of, Frank Clune. Once the information dump begins my eyes grow heavy unless it is specifically something I want to read about.

Broadly speaking, his goal was to inspect and report on the Canadian Arctic - deemed an under-developed territory - to review and catalogue its successes and where further development is likely yo yield best results. How the rest of the world's experiences can be used to extend the frontiers of agriculture, atomic energy and the like. What are the effects of a gradually warming northern hemisphere on the vast timber forests? etc.

With generous support of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) as well as many other individuals and companies, he is whisked around Canada. Dog sled and snow tractor also feature as he covers off a vast array of topics including the Inuit people (still referred to as Eskimo back then), the Hudson Bay Company, the Canadian Arctic islands of Cornwallis, Melville, Sommerset & Bathurst, uranium and gold mines, Animal breeding stations, spends time with Arctic doctors and geologists, he flies to the North Pole with the Air Force, and visits everyday people. He spends time with the Mounties and the Air Force in remote bases, pursues Caribou and attends an Arctic survival course (one of the more interesting sections), sees the aurora, reindeer and vegetable farms raising successful crops.

There is a lot to take in, and yes there is a travel narrative running through, but it wore me down, and as such sits with a three star rating, which may be generous by half a star!