This richly illustrated book takes a different angle on Robert E. Peary's North Pole expedition. By shifting the focus away from the unanswerable question of whether he truly reached 90° North Latitude, the authors shed light on equally important stories and discoveries that arose as a result of the infamous expedition. Peary's Arctic Quest ventures beyond the well-cited story of Peary's expedition and uncovers the truth about race relations, womens' scientific contributions, and climate change that are still relevant today. Readers will gain a greater appreciation for Peary's methodical and creative mind, the Inughuit's significant contributions to Arctic exploration, and the impact of Western expedition activity on the Inughuit community. The volume will also feature artifacts, drawings, and historic photographs with informative captions to tell little-known stories about Peary's 1908-1909 North Pole expedition.
About the Author: Dr. Susan A. Kaplan is a professor of anthropology and director of the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and Arctic Studies Center at Bowdoin College. She received her BA from Lake Forest College and her MA and PhD from Bryn Mawr College. She is an Arctic anthropologist and archaeologist who studies prehistoric and historic Inuit responses to environmental change and contact with the West, the history of Arctic exploration, and material culture. She works primarily in northern Labrador, Canada, though projects have taken her to Alaska, Ellesmere Island, and Newfoundland as well. She was the editor of the circumpolar journal Arctic Anthropology for 11 years and is the author and editor of numerous research and exhibition publications. In addition to research, teaching, and overseeing museum operations, she organizes international and national symposia and develops outreach programs for the general public and northern communities. At Bowdoin she teaches courses having to do with archaeology, contemporary Arctic issues, cultures' responses to environmental changes, and human-animal relationships. Dr. Genevieve LeMoine is an archaeologist and curator/registrar of the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and Arctic Studies Center, Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. She received her BA from the University of Toronto and her MA and PhD from the University of Calgary. She began working in the north as a graduate student, excavating Paleoeskimo sites on north Devon Island. Since then she has worked at sites in the Mackenzie Delta, NWT, Little Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Inglefield Land, northwestern Greenland, and northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut; the last three as a principle investigator. Her research interests include skeletal technology, experimental archaeology, and women in prehistory. Her research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the National Science Foundation, and the National Geographic Society. She has published the results of her research in a variety of academic journals and edited volumes and has curated exhibits on subjects ranging from climate change to Canadian Inuit art.