The harsh beauty of the Far North has long fascinated explorers and armchair tourists alike. Its exotic flora and fauna and forbidding terrain appeal to our curiosity and sense of wonder. In this lavishly illustrated book presenting 335 images and an informative text, the marvels and mysteries of the Arctic world are fully displayed. Here are dark, ominous, deserted landscapes in winter, a time when only a few sedentary creatures can be spotted as well as exhilarating scenes of spring and summer revealing an explosion of color and life, as the days lengthen and millions of birds arrive to nest along with thousands of seals that migrate to land when the ice melts. Unlike the Antarctic, as the awe-inspiring pictures show, the Arctic is populated by an astonishing number of animals, including humpback and sperm whales, walruses, bearded and harp seals, polar bears, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, raindeer, timber wolves, and scores of kinds of birds and fish. There are also views of a wide variety of hardy plants adapted to the rigors of long winters and short summers. In addition, this visual journey portrays the lives of native peoples who ha