Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape

The masterpiece of one of the most widely acclaimed writers working today, Arctic Dreams is an unforgettable study of the Far North, the marvelous and mysterious land of stunted forests and frozen seas, of muskox and narwhal, where sunrise and dusk are seasonal rather than daily phenomena. Lopez offers a thorough examination of this obscure world -- its terrain, its wildlife, and the history of the Eskimo natives and intrepid explorers who have arrived on its icy shores.

What turns this inimitable compendium of biology, anthropology, and history into a breathtaking study of profound originality is Lopez's unique meditation on how the landscape can shape our imagination, desires, and dreams. In prose as hauntingly pure as the land it describes, Arctic Dreams is nothing less than an indelible classic of modern literature.