Cold Comfort: My Love Affair with the Arctic

Monika Rohlmann is an environmental/social consultant in Yellowknife,
Northwest Territories.

In 1936, a group of young male university students left Britain to
travel to the eastern Canadian Arctic. Their goal was to map the west
and north coasts of Baffin Island. Graham Rowley, whose specialty was
archeology, spent three years in the North excavating a number of Dorset
and Thule sites, as well as assisting in the mapping of Baffin
Island’s coastline.

In this account of his 1936 Arctic expedition, Rowley casts an
observant eye on places, people, weather, and wildlife. We learn about
such aspects of the Inuit lifestyle as building snow houses, running a
dog team, building and maintaining a sledge, hunting seal and walrus,
and preparing hides for winter clothing. We also learn about other
Arctic expeditions that occurred prior to 1936.

Rowley’s descriptions of the Inuit way of life are invaluable. His
book will interest general readers as well as specialists in Northern
studies.