PREFACE 



My chief object in compiling this work has been to supply 

 a brief account of the main efforts which have been made 

 to reach the North Pole. The subject is now so exten- 

 sive that few have the opportunity of covering the whole 

 ground. While the exciting and specially interesting 

 incidents have not been omitted, the book aims at giving 

 the reader an intelligent idea of the equipment and 

 other means by which the work of exploration has been 

 carried on. 



The many expeditions which have set out to find a 

 north-west or a north-east passage do not come within 

 the scope of the book, except when they have had some 

 special bearing on the struggle for the Pole. 



Those who may wish to pursue the subject further by 

 consulting the original authors can be assured that no 

 works of fiction relate greater deeds of heroism than are 

 found in the records of Arctic exploration ; and that while 

 they may satisfy their love for the adventurous they will 

 add something to their geographical knowledge. 



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