The 1951 Spitsbergen Expedition

by Colin Bull
Signed by Colin Bull.

University of Alaska Press, Fairbanks, 2005. 1st Edition, 1st Printing, Large 8vo, [xviii]. 254pp. Index. Illustrated with b/w & color, one fold-out diagram. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket – as new. Includes an excellent photographic record in black-and-white prints of the expedition, plus 16 color photos of individuals and scenery of the field areas worked.

The intent of the expedition was to explore a remote area of the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard Archipelago. The expedition had several road-blocks including inadequate financial support to procuring a highly unsuitable expedition ship, inappropriate field gear, and miserable weather in the area of their field work. A mix-up here and there resulted in forgetting to take along thermometers, somewhat uncertain assignments of duties of the field team, no means of communication, and shortages of food. On the positive side, there was valuable scientific information resulting from this 10-man expedition in the summer of 1951. An often times humorous narrative by Colin Bull.

From the dust-jacket: “Colin Bull, cook and glaciologist on the 1951 expedition to Spitsbergen, made more than 25 polar expeditions during his distinguished career as a glaciologist. (His cooking career languished.) He organized the first all-woman scientific expedition to Antarctica and other scientific ventures to Greenland, the Yukon, Alaska, Chile and Peru. He was awarded the Polar Medal by Queen Elizabeth II and the Antarctic Service Medal by the US Government. Two geographical features in Antarctica have been named for him: the stark and dramatic Bull Pass, and Bull Lake, which plunges to a depth of five centimeters.”

$120.00 -