The Man Who Mapped the Arctic: The Intrepid Life of George Back, Franklin's Lieutenant

It takes considerable flair and panache to write history in a way that makes it read like a novel and not very many authors have that ability. Canada's Pierre Berton has it! Dava Sobel and Simon Winchester are certainly up to the task! In "The Man Who Mapped the Arctic", Peter Steele demonstrated his rightful claim to membership on that short list. Steele, a physician who has spent most of his life in the North and an arctic adventurer and mountaineer in his own right, has eloquently told us the astonishing tale of George Back, Franklin's undeservedly obscure and unsung Lieutenant and his astonishing exploits in exploration that rival Samuel Hearne's or Lewis and Clark's in their extraordinary scope and difficulty. Steele's prose has painted a vivid picture of Back's working life as a Navy Lieutenant and explorer and the compelling setting in which the story takes place - endless waterfalls and rapids; excruciating clouds of mosquitoes or black flies; extreme temperature swings; backbreaking 90 to 100 pound loads hauled over strenuous ankle-breaking portages; the open water of Lake Winnipeg, Lake Superior and Great Bear and Great Slave Lake that might better be described as inland oceans when observed from the perspective of a canoe; changeable unpredictable weather; the dumb-founding athleticism of ten to twelve men paddling in perfect synchrony at 50 strokes per minute for hours on end singing, if you please, to provide a rhythm and take their minds off the numbing pain in their backs and shoulders; lost rations, near starvation and cannibalism; the stinging cold and near endless dark of sub-arctic winter camps; the political struggles, bickering, corporate fighting and espionage that occurred as a matter of course in the conflict between the Hudson Bay Company and the Northwest Company; and much, much more. Of Back's cultural indoctrination by fire upon his arrival in Canada, for example, Steele wrote: "He knew nothing of the rival fur companies' years of bitter forest skirmishes, sniping from riverbanks at each others' canoes, occasionally taking prisoners, and resorting in extremis to arson and theft, kidnapping and murder - tantamount to open warfare." "Neither did he understand the cultural differences that might arise between himself and a disparate group of French Canadian voyageur canoemen, Indian hunters and Eskimo guides, who he expected would guide them through the most barren and inhospitable land anyone could imagine, among people utterly ignorant of intrusive Westerners and their strange ways." In other words, Steele has provided us with an exciting biography of a talented naval officer, explorer, mapmaker, outdoorsman and survivor who has languished for too long under the shadow of Franklin, his considerably less talented superior. The Yukon News praises "The Man Who Mapped the Arctic" by suggesting that it is destined to become a classic story of Canadian Arctic exploration. I concur. Paul Weiss

As a resident of the Alaskan Arctic, I find it refreshing to read a book by a biographer who does not just sit at the computer, or camp out in a stately library somewhere. Steele, a doctor and mountaineer, as well as a biographer, actually went out and retraced the distant and remote routes across Northern Canada --the same routes of his subject--British explorer George Back. He followed the exploits of Back on foot, and also by canoe, boat and plane, including a forced landing on a remote lake. Steele also traveled to Back's birthplace in the Cheshire area of England, and the areas of France where he was held as a prisoner of war well before he reached he age of 20. Much has been written about a contemporary of Back's, the courageous John Franklin, but much less about Back himself. Perhaps this is because Franklin and his 129 crewmen perished in a tragic search for the Northwest Passage. Steele's book should help Arctic enthusiasts learn more about Back, Franklin's Lieutenant on three earlier Arctic expeditions. Back, who served in the British Navy as a teenager, and spent five years in French prisons, showed early maturity, a very hearty constitution and a strong will. He successfully explored vast areas of Northern Canada and discovered and traveled the Back River, including shooting its 83 rapids. Steele, reflecting his medical background, notes that Back died in his bed at a relatively advanced age (for that time) of 82 years old. Back kept very active, and was also a fine mapmaker and artist. Steele also provides a social and economic profile of England in the early and mid 1800's, to show the rather limited options for many bright and ambitious young citizens. Thus, Arctic exploration, despite all its dangers, became a way up and out from a rather entrenched power structure. I could feel the inner drive of explorers like Back, Franklin, Parry and others as they sailed out of English ports, bound for uncharted Arctic waters, and expected to be gone for years at a time, with no way of communicating good or bad news, or getting rescued. Kind of like our space program at present, although we do have much more communication, but still plenty of risk. Pick up this book like I did, during several months when the sun does not rise above the horizon in Arctic Alaska. Find a comfortable chair by a sturdy floor lamp, and call your Greenland Husky or other faithful dog to your side, and return again to the days of George Back and his Arctic explorations. Earl

We need more of this kind of book in Canada.This was a fun read. The only complaint I have is the maps could have helped illustrate the routes taken.

An incredibly well researched book. The Man Who Mapped the Arctic is a must read for anyone interested in Canadian and European history or Arctic exploration. This is not dull Canadian history! Peter Steele's writing is witty and engaging.