Read Arctic Dreams Audible Audio Edition Barry Lopez James Naughton Random House Audio Books
Download As PDF : Arctic Dreams Audible Audio Edition Barry Lopez James Naughton Random House Audio Books
Winner of the National Book Award.
This best-selling, groundbreaking exploration of the Far North is a classic of natural history, anthropology, and travel writing.
The Arctic is a perilous place. Only a few species of wild animals can survive its harsh climate. In this modern classic, Barry Lopez explores the many-faceted wonders of the Far North its strangely stunted forest, its mesmerizing aurora borealis, its frozen seas. Musk oxen, polar bears, narwhal, and other exotic beasts of the region come alive through Lopez's passionate and nuanced observations. And as he examines the history and culture of the indigenous people, along with parallel narratives of intrepid, often underprepared and subsequently doomed polar explorers, Lopez drives to the heart of why the austere and formidable Arctic is also a constant source of breathtaking beauty, beguilement, and wonder.Â
Written in prose as memorably pure as the land it describes, Arctic Dreams is a timeless mediation on the ability of the landscape to shape our dreams and to haunt our imaginations.Â
Look for Barry Lopez's new book, Horizon, available now.Â
Read Arctic Dreams Audible Audio Edition Barry Lopez James Naughton Random House Audio Books
"I wanted to give this book 3.5 stars based on the difficulty I had connecting with it, but I know the author’s intellectual approach—both scientific and philosophical—to the past, present and future of the land and people at the top of the world demands a solid 5 stars. So 4 stars it is, and I hope that better readers than I can find this book and give it the attention it deserves. There were whole pages strung together where I wasn’t sure what the author was trying to say, and yet I think I highlighted more passages in this book than usual—highlighted to read again and ponder the emotion and dignity and intellectual curiosity of the author’s Arctic Dreams."
Product details
|
Tags : Arctic Dreams (Audible Audio Edition) Barry Lopez, James Naughton, Random House Audio Books, ,Barry Lopez, James Naughton, Random House Audio,Arctic Dreams,Random House Audio,B07PLMNQV7
Arctic Dreams Audible Audio Edition Barry Lopez James Naughton Random House Audio Books Reviews :
Arctic Dreams Audible Audio Edition Barry Lopez James Naughton Random House Audio Books Reviews
- Over the years I've read many great books on Natural History, most of them were very enjoyable, giving me rare insights into the natural world and its inhabitants. But "Arctic Dreams" is in a class all its own. For me, this is one of the best Nature books I've read since "The Sea Around Us". Like Rachel Carson, author Barry Lopez writes with a poetic beauty that reflects his love of nature as he takes the reader on an extended field trip through the the Arctic landscape to study what life is like in this frozen world. The author seems to have a well rounded education in biology as well as the history of Arctic exploration but is, I suspect, a philosopher at heart. Starting with an imaginary hike from the Arctic Circle to the Equator and back again Lopez examines the changing landscape, climate and biosphere leading to some surprising conclusions. A good portion of the book is devoted to the authors observations and thoughts on the behavior and evolution of some iconic Arctic animals like the Musk Ox, Polar Bear and Walrus. The write up on the Musk Ox was fascinating, the first I've ever read. And so was the segment on Narwals leading to an historical link between, of all things, the legendary Unicorn and the Narwal's horn. Most of Lopez's observations were done in the company of other wildlife biologist, explorers and, additionally, some of the local Eskimos that he was living and hunting with. But "Arctic Dreams" is not just about animals and plants! Lopez also delves into our cultural history with thoughts on the early days of Arctic exploration and modern day scientific research and the exploitation of the Arctic by world governments, international industry and multinational shipping. There's an extensive write up on how and when early man came to North America and the peopling of the Arctic by various groups of "Eskimos" and Nordic people. Ice is the signature property of the Arctic and it comes in many forms, each with its own characteristics that can change over time. Modern day shipping has catalogued and named many of them to help them in navigating Arctic waters. The author covers this phenomenon in a fascinating way that surprised me in its complexity. Lopez's descriptive passages make you feel like you're right there with him as he walks the Arctic tundra or observers ice-bergs from the deck of a research vessel. You can almost feel the bitter wind or see snow geese flying overhead. The book is illustrated with several good maps but you may want to keep your tablet or computer handy so you can get a better look at the region's covered. There's so much more to this wonderful, well written book that no review can do it justic, so if you are at all interested in the geography, climate, history and life of the polar region then you might want to give this book a try. I highly recommend it!
Last Ranger - This book is a beautiful evocation of encounters in the Arctic. The author considers various animals, landscapes, peoples, histories, fata morganas, tragedies, victories, conflicts and confluences, among much else.
I stumbled upon this book in the remainder rack at a bookstore years ago, picked it up because I had fallen in love with Alaska on two working trips there, and found myself unexpectedly enthralled. This is high on the list of the best non-fiction I've ever had the pleasure of reading -- thoughtful, beautiful and highly informative without being in any way precious, overly academic or politically biased. I've since bought it as a gift, and purchased a replacement copy and then a version for myself. Currently I'm reading a few pages each night before sleep, and dropping into quiet dreams of light and ice.
Read it. You won't regret it. - I wanted to give this book 3.5 stars based on the difficulty I had connecting with it, but I know the author’s intellectual approach—both scientific and philosophical—to the past, present and future of the land and people at the top of the world demands a solid 5 stars. So 4 stars it is, and I hope that better readers than I can find this book and give it the attention it deserves. There were whole pages strung together where I wasn’t sure what the author was trying to say, and yet I think I highlighted more passages in this book than usual—highlighted to read again and ponder the emotion and dignity and intellectual curiosity of the author’s Arctic Dreams.
- Barry Lopez is an amazing person. If you read his autobiographical article in Harper's or heard him on NPR talking about his experience with child abuse, you come away with a glimpse of the resiliency of the human soul. From a tortured childhood, he has gone on to develop an intellect that uniquely observes the human condition. Along with Jared Diamond, he offers a perspective on the human condition in the modern world that offers hope that man can overcome the evil of his own doing. Technology.
Arctic Dreams is more than a study of the environment above the Arctic Circle, but how both Western man and the First Peoples who inhabit this world have transformed this world. From his voluminous knowledge of history to his anthropological observations of the people of the North, Lopez leaves no reality untouched with his warm humanity. It is as if you stepped off the bush plane onto the permafrost of far Northern Canada.
A book that should be read by anyone who cares about the fragile rock that we all inhabit. The world of the Arctic is quickly vanishing from global warming. The sea ice that trapped early explorers in Barrow Straight will be gone in twenty years. Cruise ships and oil tankers will sail from Alaska to Europe year round. It is harrowing to realize how driving to the store to buy groceries has had profound effects on a far distant part of our spaceship. For the world that Barry Lopez understands will be gone in our lifetimes.
