Each year, thousands of people visit Bob Bartlett's boyhood home located in Brigus, Newfoundland and Labrador, to catch a glimpse of this famous sealing captain's amazing life. Hawthorne Cottage has been designated a National Historic Site. The Log of Bob Bartlett captures details and experiences that are not widely known about his forty years of adventures. His log details his two most historic feats--his journey with Robert Peary to reach the North Pole and his heroic deed aboard the Karluk--yet it also sketches his early life and some of his most memorable ice travels during and after the Great War. Bartlett made twenty-eight excursions into the Arctic, yet one wonders what drove this urge for discovery, especially to the most frigid and unforgiving of places. He has been quoted as saying, "The truth was I could not stop myself in pursuit of adventure. I was committed to the Arctic. I'd got the poison in my veins."

Sails Over Ice picks up where The Log of Bob Bartlett left off. Between the years 1925-1933, Captain Bob Bartlett and the Morrissey explored coastal Greenland and much of Northern Canada, harvesting scientific specimens and Inuit artifacts for North American societies and museums and collecting Arctic mammals for zoos. This world-famous captain from Newfoundland never lost a single soul on either of these trips. Most believe that Bartlett's contribution to exploration and natural science is without equal.

It may not be inapt to liken the attainment of the North Pole to the winning of a game of chess, in which all the various moves leading to a favorable conclusion had been planned in advance, long before the actual game began. It was an old game for me—a game which I had been playing for twenty-three years, with varying fortunes. Always, it is true, I had been beaten, but with every defeat came fresh knowledge of the game, its intricacies, its difficulties, its subtleties, and with every fresh attempt success came a trifle nearer; what had before appeared either impossible, or, at the best, extremely dubious, began to take on an aspect of possibility, and, at last, even of probability. Every defeat was analyzed as to its causes in all their bearings, until it became possible to believe that those causes could in future be guarded against and that, with a fair amount of good fortune, the losing game of nearly a quarter of a century could be turned into one final, complete success. It is true that with this conclusion many well informed and intelligent persons saw fit to differ. But many others shared my views and gave without stint their sympathy and their help, and now, in the end, one of my greatest unalloyed pleasures is to know that their confidence, subjected as it was to many trials, was not misplaced, that their trust, their belief in me and in the mission to which the best years of my life have been given, have been abundantly justified. But while it is true that so far as plan and method are concerned the discovery of the North Pole may fairly be likened to a game of chess, there is, of course, this obvious difference: in chess, brains are matched against brains. In the quest of the Pole it was a struggle of human brains and persistence against the blind, brute forces of the elements of primeval matter, acting often under laws and impulses almost unknown or but little understood by us, and thus many times seemingly capricious, freaky, not to be foretold with any degree of certainty. For this reason, while it was possible to plan, before the hour of sailing from New York, the principal moves of the attack upon the frozen North, it was not possible to anticipate all of the moves of the adversary. Had this been possible, my expedition of 1905-1906, which established the then "farthest north" record of 87° 6´, would have reached the Pole. But everybody familiar with the records of that expedition knows that its complete success was frustrated by one of those unforeseen moves of our great adversary—in that a season of unusually violent and continued winds disrupted the polar pack, separating me from my supporting parties, with insufficient supplies, so that, when almost within striking distance of the goal, it was necessary to turn back because of the imminent peril of starvation. When victory seemed at last almost within reach, I was blocked by a move which could not possibly have been foreseen, and which, when I encountered it, I was helpless to meet. And, as is well known, I and those with me were not only checkmated but very nearly lost our lives as well. But all that is now as a tale that is told. This time it is a different and perhaps a more inspiring story, though the records of gallant defeat are not without their inspiration. And the point which it seems fit to make in the beginning is that success crowned the efforts of years because strength came from repeated defeats, wisdom from earlier error, experience from inexperience, and determination from them all.

The Arctic explorer Louise Arner Boyd, working in conjunction with the United States Bureau of Standards, embarked June 11, 1941 on a polar research voyage in the legendary schooner Effie M. Morrissey with Captain, owner, and Arctic explorer in his own right, Bob Bartlett commanding. Although the United States was not yet a combatant in the war then raging throughout Europe, by the beginning of 1941 it had become clear that such neutrality would not last much longer, and that when the time came for the U.S. to enter the war, it would be on the side of the Allies.Greenland, a protectorate of Denmark, lost that status when Germany overran the home country. Unprotected, it could provide the Nazis with an operating base in North America. Boyd's long history of leading surveying, scientific, and photographic expeditions to the East coast of Greenland meant that another expedition under her leadership, to the West coast/Baffin Bay side of that island, would arouse little notice. She arranged a charter of the ice schooner Effie M. Morrissey, from departure June 11 through November 3, returning with valuable data, during which she kept a journal of her daily activities on board and her photographic and scientific work ashore. Bartlett and the ship's officers likewise kept a detailed daily log. It provides a marked contrast to Miss Boyd's narrative.Both were passionately interested in polar exploration, so joint venture, in conjunction with a quasi-military purpose seemed imminently prosperous. However, over the three months of the effort, relations between the two soured irrevocably. Each felt an indisputable right to be leader of the expedition. Neither was willing to give ground. The underlying tension reveals itself occasionally in her diary, and in the elaborately worded ship's log held in Special Collections at Bowdoin College Library. Given the differences between their social statuses, they each find much to comment on. The Socialite and the Sea Captain presents these two conflicting narratives side by side, so readers can compare the accounts and determine for themselves the underlying story behind the diaries of these two headstrong leaders.

“In today’s ego-techno-centred world, Robert Somerville’s . . . Barn Club approach is a way forward that utilizes local traditions, local materials, and local hands to create a built environment that is more harmonious with the natural world and of course more beautiful.”—Jack A. Sobon, architect, timber framer, and author of Hand Hewn “Somerville knows more about wooden barn construction than almost anyone alive.”—The Telegraph Natural history meets traditional hand craft in this celebration of the elm tree and community spirit. When renowned craftsman Robert Somerville moved to Hertfordshire in southern England, he discovered an unexpected landscape rich with wildlife and elm trees. Nestled within London’s commuter belt, this wooded farmland inspired Somerville, a lifelong woodworker, to revive the ancient tradition of hand-raising barns. Barn Club follows the building of Carley Barn over the course of one year. Volunteers from all walks of life joined Barn Club, inspired to learn this ancient skill of building elm barns by hand, at its own quiet pace and in the company of others, while using timber from the local woods. The tale of the elm tree in its landscape is central to Barn Club. Its natural history, historic importance, and remarkable survival make for a fascinating story. This is a tale of forgotten trees, a local landscape, and an ancient craft. This book includes sixteen pages of color photographs, and black and white line drawings of techniques and traditional timber frame barns feature throughout. Perfect for fans of Norwegian Wood and The Hidden Life of Trees.