Arctic - by Tony Soper (Paperback)

About the Book

Arctic wildlife guide. Freshly updated, wide-ranging natural history of frequently encountered coastal Arctic fauna and flora, illustrated with paintings and designed for expedition-cruise passengers. Covers mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates and plants. Features Bering Sea nature, a glossary of snow and ice, and a history of human activity.

Book Synopsis

This extensively updated fifth edition of Bradt's The Arctic is an engagingly written and beautifully illustrated full-colour guidebook to some of the world's most exciting wildlife. Designed with expedition-cruise passengers in mind, it is an ideal companion both on board and ashore, providing fascinating accounts of the most likely animals and plants to be seen - from polar bears and beluga whales to snowy owls and snow buttercups. Only a small number of hardy and evocative creatures - including narwhals, walruses and Ross's gulls - call the Arctic their year-round home. But come summer, the region explodes with life as plankton and plants flourish to support a massive population of fish, seabirds and whales, all taking advantage of seasonal abundance before retreating south to avoid the ice. For these few short months of almost endless daylight, the coastal Arctic - from Greenland to Svalbard, Alaska to the Bering Sea - offers a parade of wildlife delights. On a typical Arctic expedition cruise, you might marvel at walruses lounging on rocks or scan for harp seals bobbing in icy water. Watch Arctic foxes sniffing out goose eggs and gawp at the torrent of dovekies flooding to cliffside breeding colonies. Keep your eyes peeled for polar bears and ivory gulls on ice floes, for the bushy blow that heralds a humpback whale or for a flash of white that signifies a beluga whale. Packed with fascinating natural histories that bring to life star species, and freshly updated throughout, The Arctic is a timely celebration of polar nature in an era when climate change is profoundly affecting extreme northern latitudes. Written by Tony Soper (who died in 2024), former expert expedition leader and founder of the BBC Natural History Unit, illustrated with full-colour watercolour paintings from award-winning wildlife artist Dan Powell, and updated by naturalist and award-winning travel writer James Lowen, this fifth edition is packed with fascinating insights into the natural history of Arctic wildlife, its narrative bringing to life the creatures that visitors are likely to encounter. An eminently portable guidebook, Bradt's The Arctic is the ideal companion for anyone exploring the far north.

Review Quotes

A beautifully written, engaging text by polar veteran Tony Soper which describes the habits and life histories of widespread species, which have been exquisitely illustrated in watercolour.-- "WWF Arctic Bulletin"

Bradt Travel Guides simply have the best wildlife coverage of any of the popular guide books.-- "BBC Wildlife"

About the Author

Tony Soper was a naturalist film-maker who explored the coastal waters of Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Svalbard and Arctic Siberia north to the pole, as lecturer and expedition leader on icebreakers and ice-hardened vessels. His enthusiasm for wildlife was shared by a huge number of cruise guests for over twenty years. His Bradt guide, The Arctic, which has run to five editions, aims to answer some of their questions! Soper's other books include The Northeast Passage and Bradt's Northwest Passage. Tony Soper died in September 2024. Dan Powell (powellwildlifeart.com) has been a wildlife artist since graduating from Dyfed College of Art in Wales in 1983. He was honoured as British Birds Illustrator of the Year in 1996. His work has appeared in numerous books and journals, including many publications by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, on subjects ranging from parrots to dragonflies. He is happiest when out sketching in the field - especially when stuck in the middle of a bog.