Antarctica and the Arctic: The Complete Encyclopedia

This is a beautifully produced and wonderfully comprehensive book. If you want a book which concentrates on wildlife then look elsewhere (eg Antarctic Wildlife by H Shirihai) - better still get both as complementary to each other! The layout and structure is well conceived, the maps are clear, the photos are always good and often magnificent, the writing is aimed at intelligent readers, the index is good and above all the coverage is all-embracing within its subject. There is a nice section on Antarctic related Web links but, a minor criticism, no Bibliography. As the title indicates it is 90+% about the Antarctic with the Arctic as an "add-on". I was at first a bit negative about the inclusion of the Arctic but have come to the view that it is useful as a comparator - but you wouldn't buy this book for its Arctic content.

I been looking for a whille for a great Antarctica book.this is by far the best.wall to wall photos topics on everything explorations,wildlife,marine life, you name it.spectacular coffee table book dont miss.it even covers the artic "north pole" also

I am an Earth Science teacher and I have done research in Antarctica. The book has many wonderful photos and highly informative text about the geologic, oceanographic, atmospheric and biologic features of the polar regions. I recommend this book for anyone interested in these areas, especially teachers.

I recently took a cruise to Antarctica and this book was in the ship's library. This is an excellent book on Antarctica and the pictures are fabulous! This makes a great coffe-table book!