The International Polar Years (IPY) and the International Geophysical Year (IGY) represented a remarkable international collaborative scientific effort that was focused on, but not limited to, understanding the poles. These efforts demonstrated the consistency of scientific goals and methods across political boundaries. At the same time, they increased both knowledge and international tensions. This collection of essays explores the various scientific expeditions of the IPYs and the IGY, bringing together contributions from a variety of specialists. They offer overviews of the scientific progress achieved in each case, as well as the political, economic, and military factors that influenced these undertakings. Collectively, they provide new insights into the professionalization of scientific disciplines, national styles of scientific investigation and collaboration, scientific patronage, and the emergence of the global geosciences. .

"The International Polar Years and the International Geophysical Year represented a remarkable international collaborative scientific effort that was focused on, but not limited to, understanding the Earth's poles. This groundbreaking collection redresses the surprising failure of historians to explore beyond even a cursory manner the richness of the IPYs and IGY as sites of historical and scientific study. In doing so, it illuminates critical aspects of the last 150 years of international scientific endeavour"--