03773nam 2200733Ia 450 991097540310332120200520144314.09786612932892978128293289012829328969780226721873022672187610.7208/9780226721873(CKB)2670000000059465(EBL)625219(OCoLC)692204526(SSID)ssj0000467789(PQKBManifestationID)12169074(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000467789(PQKBWorkID)10496793(PQKB)10518629(StDuBDS)EDZ0000121923(DE-B1597)523100(OCoLC)747946399(DE-B1597)9780226721873(Au-PeEL)EBL625219(CaPaEBR)ebr10433756(CaONFJC)MIL293289(MiAaPQ)EBC625219(Perlego)1851040(EXLCZ)99267000000005946520050811d2006 uy 0engur|n|---|||||txtccrThe coldest crucible Arctic exploration and American culture /Michael F. Robinson1st ed.Chicago University of Chicago Press20061 online resource (219 p.)Description based upon print version of record.9780226721842 0226721841 Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-197) and index.Frontmatter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Building an Arctic Tradition -- 2. A Man of Science and Humanity -- 3. An Arctic Divided -- 4. Dying Like Men -- 5. The New Machines -- 6. Savage Campaigns -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- IndexIn the late 1800s, "Arctic Fever" swept across the nation as dozens of American expeditions sailed north to the Arctic to find a sea route to Asia and, ultimately, to stand at the North Pole. Few of these missions were successful, and many men lost their lives en route. Yet failure did little to dampen the enthusiasm of new explorers or the crowds at home that cheered them on. Arctic exploration, Michael F. Robinson argues, was an activity that unfolded in America as much as it did in the wintry hinterland. Paying particular attention to the perils facing explorers at home, The Coldest Crucible examines their struggles to build support for the expeditions before departure, defend their claims upon their return, and cast themselves as men worthy of the nation's full attention. In so doing, this book paints a new portrait of polar voyagers, one that removes them from the icy backdrop of the Arctic and sets them within the tempests of American cultural life. With chronological chapters featuring emblematic Arctic explorers-including Elisha Kent Kane, Charles Hall, and Robert Peary-The Coldest Crucible reveals why the North Pole, a region so geographically removed from Americans, became an iconic destination for discovery.ExplorersUnited StatesHistory19th centuryScientistsUnited StatesHistory19th centuryScienceUnited StatesHistory19th centuryArctic regionsDiscovery and explorationAmericanExplorersHistoryScientistsHistoryScienceHistory910/.9163/2RY 30026rvkRobinson Michael F(Michael Frederick),1966-37662MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910975403103321The coldest crucible4364723UNINA