Fifty Years Below Zero: A Lifetime of Adventure in the Far North

by Charles Brower

Overview

Fifty Years Below Zero is an engrossing account by Charles Brower, the "King of the Arctic," of his life in the north. Brower shares his knowledge of whaling, pioneering, and Alaska Native life and customs before statehood, chronicling a period of important and rapid change in Alaska history with insight and humor. His story is also full of high adventure and rich with details about the many visitors who became his friends—explorers, whalers, traders, and missionaries. This volume is an excellent companion to the oral biography of Harry Brower, Jr., the son of Charles Brower, entitled The Whales, They Give Themselves (University of Alaska Press 2004).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780912006680
Publisher:	University of Alaska Press
Publication date:	11/01/1994
Series:	Classic Reprint Series , #3
Edition description:	73rd ed.
Pages:	324
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Charles Brower, the "King of the Arctic," was born in New York City in 1863. At the age of twenty, he was invited to join a small party to investigate coal mining possibilities near Cape Lisburne, Alaska, on the Arctic Ocean. Attracted by the lure of wide horizons and far places, he accepted the invitation. Except for occasional visits "Outside," Brower remained within the Arctic Circle for the rest of his life, living and working at Point Barrow, Alaska, where he died in 1945.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface to the 1994 Edition
     Terrence Cole
Introduction
     Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Prolog
Chapters I-LV
Epilogue
Index

Editorial Reviews

Reprint, with a new preface, of a widely read account first published in 1942 (Dodd, Mead and Company)--and subsequently reprinted at least 19 times by the original New York publisher over a period of 40 years. The author arrived in Barrow in 1886, and a planned two-year stay lasted for nearly 60 years. He was the first non-Native--and for years the only one--to live year-round with the Inupiaq on the Arctic coast of Alaska, learning their language and customs and marrying into the community. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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