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This book celebrates the Arctic, exploring the natural history that
has so inspired generations. Early travellers to the Arctic brought
back tales of amazing creatures and of the endurance required of
visitors, the Arctic becoming a land of inspiration and
imagination. Adventurers test themselves against it. Its wildlife
still amazes - when film and television show Earth's natural
wonders it is always the polar regions that draw the biggest
audiences. But today the Arctic is in retreat. Humanity's
relentless exploitation of the Earth's resources in the pursuit of
progress has, it seems, altered the climate and threatens the ice
and ice-living organisms. It is a cliche that the loss of a species
diminishes us, but it is true nonetheless. Even to people who have
never seen a Polar Bear its loss will be immeasurable as the bear
is iconic, both defining and reflecting the Arctic. This
Traveller's Guide is designed to give visitors a handy
identification guide to the wildlife they might see as they travel
around, including stunning photography and detailed descriptions of
each species.
Falcons have been a source of inspiration to writers, artists,
historians and naturalists alike. In a much-anticipated volume on
one of Britain's most fascinating group of birds, Richard Sale
draws on a wealth of experience and research, providing a
comprehensive natural history of the four British breeding falcons.
The book takes each of the four breeding species in turn (Kestrel,
Merlin, Hobby and Peregrine Falcon), exploring its form, habitat,
breeding biology and status, along with a chapter on the hunting
techniques of each species.
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The Arctic (Paperback)
Richard Sale, Per Nichelsen
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R836
R758
Discovery Miles 7 580
Save R78 (9%)
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Ships in 9 - 15 working days
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This stunningly beautiful and informative book celebrates the
Arctic, one of the last great wildernesses on the planet; a place
where animals have survived for thousands of years protected only
by fur and feathers. Humans also survive in the Arctic, but only
those who have adjusted to the climate over millennia and who clad
themselves in the skins of the animals they hunt. For the casual
visitor, this is a place where survival for any extended period
requires taking advantage of the best that modern technology can
offer. But the rewards are immense: the Arctic can be harsh, but it
is also stunningly beautiful - days during which the sun glints on
ice, nights illuminated by the ethereal dancing light of the aurora
and with a glimpse of some of the most remarkable animals on the
planet. Many travel to the Arctic to see the animals, the land
mammals, the whales and seals, and the birds. However, the Arctic
also has an absorbing human history. The origins of the Inuit in
North America, and the array of Eurasian northern peoples, from the
Sami of Scandinavia to the Yuppik hunters from Asia's Bering Sea
coast, are still debated, while the discovery, just a year or so
ago, of the second ship of Franklin's doomed expedition to find the
North-West Passage has reopened the arguments over exactly what did
happen to more than 100 Royal Navy seamen. The Arctic provides not
only an understanding of the formation of the Arctic but the
science of snow and ice including the phenomena of aurora and
parhelia, and the way in which the area's wildlife contends with
the chilling harshness of its climate. This fascinating,
magnificent area is now under severe threat. Global warming is
causing the sea ice to shrink, in both area and volume. This allows
easier access to its probable resources and, ironically, this
access merely adds to the threats to the area and its wildlife. Due
to feedback mechanisms, the Arctic warms about twice as fast as the
Earth. The area therefore acts in the way that canaries once acted
in coal mines, giving an early warning of danger: melting sea ice
not only threatens the local wildlife but indicates the threat to
the Earth as a whole. This is a truly remarkable book encompassing
the diverse facets of this magnificent area and its vital
importance as an indicator of the planet's health.
K2 is one of the most demanding mountaineering challenges in the
world and one of the most treacherous - K2 is a legend. Extreme,
unpredictable weather and the acutely difficult climbing conditions
test the technique, endurance and psychological strength of the
most experienced mountaineers to the limit - and often beyond. Many
of the men and women who have sought to reach the summit have
failed, often with tragic consequences - over 70 of them have died
or disappeared. Yet this, the second highest mountain on Earth,
continues to exercise for the world's top mountaineers a special -
all too often lethal - attraction, and this is the subject of
Richard Sale's fascinating new book. As he traces the climbing
history of K2 over the last 150 years, he shows in graphic detail
how it acquired this awesome reputation: it was during the first
serious attempts on the summit in the 1930s and 1950s that K2
became known as the Savage Mountain.
A pocket-sized photographic field guide to Arctic birds, mammals,
and other wildlife Wildlife of the Arctic is an accessible and
richly illustrated pocket-sized photographic field guide to the
birds, land and sea mammals, and plants and lichens of the northern
polar region--including Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland,
Scandinavia, and Russia. Written and illustrated by naturalists
with extensive Arctic experience, this handy book features detailed
facing-page descriptions of each species, including information
about identification, range, distribution, and breeding and
wintering grounds. A substantial introduction explains the area
covered, with information on the poles, geology, snow and ice,
auroras, and the influence of global warming. This portable,
user-friendly guide is the perfect companion for birders,
ecotourists, and cruise-line passengers visiting the Arctic Circle
and other areas of the far north. An accessible and richly
illustrated pocket-sized photographic field guide to Artic wildlife
Features more than 800 color photos illustrating more than 250 bird
species, 60 land mammals, and 30 seals and whales Includes
extensive facing-page species descriptions and identification
information Provides an overview of the Arctic region, with
information on the poles, geology, snow and ice, auroras, and the
influence of global warming Explores each family of birds and
mammals, and has sections covering fish, insects, plants, and
lichens
A century ago the summits of the world's highest peaks, Everest
included, were beyond reach. Pioneering attempts to overcome the
dangers of climbing at extremely high altitudes ended in failure,
sometimes with disastrous consequences. Yet today high-altitude
ascents are frequent, almost commonplace. Everest can be conquered
by relatively inexperienced mountaineers, and their exploits barely
merit media attention - unless they go fatally wrong. In this
fascinating study of the dramatic history of Everest climbs,
Richard Sale and George Rodway describe in vivid detail the
struggle to conquer the mountain and the advances in scientific
knowledge that made the conquest possible. Their account gives a
compelling insight into the science of mountaineering as well as
the physical and psychological challenges faced by individuals who
choose to test themselves in some of the harshest conditions on
earth. Dr George Rodway, an assistant professor at the University
of Utah, is a physiologist, mountaineer and an expert on mountain
medicine and the science of high-altitude climbs. As well as
publishing many papers and articles on these subjects, he is the
editor of George Ingle Finch's The Struggle for Everest. He has
also written extensively on the history of high-altitude physiology
for journals such as High Altitude Medicine and Biology.
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