‘Extraordinary’ ANNE APPLEBAUM
‘Thrilling . . . a record of an infatuation’ TELEGRAPH
‘The book of a lifetime’ ELIF SHAFAK
‘The North Pole proves to be the perfect subject for him’ MICHAEL PALIN
'Heart-catching . . . fabulous' OBSERVER
‘A beautiful book’ ALAIN DE BOTTON

The epic adventure story of the North Pole – its transcendent beauty and dangerous appeal – from Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge who travelled there in 1990

Foot-stepping alongside Erling Kagge, we hear the story of the North Pole as never told before. From Herodotus, who first wondered what the northernmost point of our planet might be like, to the intrepid early cartographers who mapped our world, and the legendary expeditions led by Fridtjof Nansen and Robert Peary – the first polar explorer global celebrities – who were in the grip of a dangerous obsession to get to the North Pole first.

What emerges is a new history of the world, spanning thousands of years, as seen from the ‘silver-shining vacantness’ of the North Pole. Blending memories from Kagge’s own 1990 trip with this gripping history, The North Pole is an adventure story, a book about difficult fathers and difficult sons, and an inspiring record of what it means to keep putting one foot in front of the other in the face of adversity.

'As an explorer Erling Kagge is world class; as a writer he is equally gifted’ RANULPH FIENNES

"An adventure that can’t be topped . . . Kagge journeys into the past to uncover the myths, politics and pure joy of the northernmost point on Earth . . . heart-catching . . . a big book of ripping yarns and existential angst . . . fabulous" - Observer

"Thrilling . . . a compelling mix of history, memoir and polar arcana . . . Coming to the end of this strange, often beautiful book, it becomes clear that The North Pole is in fact a love story, a record of an infatuation" - The Telegraph

"An adventure-lusting Norwegian explorer vividly chronicles our obsession with the North Pole . . . Engaging . . . bracing . . . fascinating . . . Why go? That masochistic drive is captured with great verve, as are the beauty of the Arctic and its terrifying hazards" - The Times

"Absorbing from the start . . . it seems there’s nothing better than a fairly pointless journey into the middle of nowhere to tell us about ourselves . . . all these boreal goings-on are interlaced with Kagge’s own hard-won experience" - Spectator

"Kagge's achievement in this compelling, expansive book is to present the North Pole in all its aspects – not just as a geographical point sought by generations of explorers, but also as a dream, myth and mirror . . . gripping . . . epic" - Times Literary Supplement