Building the Greenland Kayak : A Manual for Its Contruction and Use

Book Description

This step-by-step guide to building a lashed-frame, fabriccovered sea kayak is both a means to a sleek, fast, universally admired boat and an excellent introduction to woodworking and boatbuilding for hobbyists. The Inuit design scales up or down to fit the paddler and can be built using $150 worth of hardware-store materials, a few basic tools, and a minimal investment of time. Also included: plans for a low-volume version designed for Eskimo rolling; an especially stable version for children; and discussions of kayaking equipment, paddling, and rolling techniques.

Customer Reviews:

Building your own kayak.......2007-02-24

My daughter and I are building kayaks in an Adult Ed class using this book as our bible. Luckily, there is an instructor who has built 2 kayaks before using this book. The book contains all you need to know, albiet that you have to spend time reading the words repeatedly because there aren't enough sketches to show what is intended. There are lots of photos, but they don't convey the same amount of info as a sketch with dimensions. But, if you keep re-reading the book to figure our how to make the jigs, you'll end up with a piece of art, that you can kayak in.

All You need.......2006-10-19

If you want to build a greenland kayak then this is all you need. Instructions are clear and not wordy. It also has sections on making paddles and paddling clothing. The style shown in this book has slight deviations from the original greenland technique but he specifically states all the changes. I built a kayak from this book with my only help being a second pair of hands, and i am only 15. The boat was exactly to his designs and it is fast, fairly stable, and responsive.

Terrific book with lots of details and pictures.......2006-08-01

This is a terrific book. I bought Robert Morris' book on Skin on Frame building and had many questions. Chris Cunningham's book provides lot of details and answered my questions. Both books compliment each other and since I do not know much about this process, I consider both required reading before I build.
I like how this book provides all details on what type of lashing to get, the Eskimo knot, fabric and type of material for sewing seams. It focuses on 1 type of boat only, which allows the author to provide lots of details and pictures during the build. I probably will not use the 2 part polyurethane finish as it shown in the book. I think I would rather use the water based exterior polyurethane as shown in the Morris book. If you plan on building a skin on frame, you have to get this book. Even if you don't plan to build one, it is a great book for those interested in this process.

Great detail and instruction.......2006-04-19

This book was great for a novice builder like myself. The intructions were clear and easy to follow. I like the way the instruction passages started with the result intended followed by detailed instructions.
The jigs were especially helpfull in achieving the results intended.

Easy-to-follow building instructions accompanied by hundreds of photos
Complete lists of all the tools and materials you'll need
Detailed primers in lumber milling, fastening, rib bending, and measuring
Additional instructions for making a Greenland paddle, paddling clothing, float bags, skegs, and more
Pointers on paddling skills, kayak rolling, and children's kayaks

Another view of skin-on-frame building........2005-08-26

Cunningham provides a very detailed view of the building techniques he uses, complete with jigs and adaptations that work for him. He includes chapters on clothing, equipment, rolling and variations, which you may find useful. This book is a useful addition to Morris' "Building Skin-on-Frame Boats" for its practical tips and a different view of the process. A good value and worthwhile addition to the boatbuilding library.

Average customer rating:

It's worth your while to find a different guide book.
Poor example of a "guide" book
The Best Guide to Iceland
Fire and Ice
lost planet - iceland

Lonely Planet Iceland
Joe Bindloss , and Paul Handing
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1741040760

Book Description

Catch the midnight sun, sleep under the northern lights, dance all night in Reykjavik's coolest clubs or chill out in a hot spring - Iceland is equal parts polar adventure and urban sophistication. Your own adventure starts right here, with this inspiring and fully updated guide.

* RUN THE RUNTUR - Reykjavik's cafes, bars and clubs revealed and reviewed
* GET OUT, GET ABOUT - whether your idea of bliss is dogsledding across the snowy plains, watching whales in the Atlantic or soaking in a spa, we've got every activity covered
* DISCOVER THE LAND OF FIRE & ICE - where to experience volcanoes, geysers and glaciers first hand, with comprehensive geographical coverage
* UNRAVEL THE MYTHS - sections on Iceland's rich history, folklore and literature explain the country's strong independent spirit
* SLUMBER IN STYLE - accommodation options to suit all, from stylish urban digs to remote farmhouse B&Bs

Customer Reviews:

It's worth your while to find a different guide book........2006-09-12

I purchased this sorry excuse for a guide book knowing full well my options for guide books to Iceland were limited, and a few kilometers outside of Akureyri I pitched it out the window of my rental car in shear frustration. For such a tiny country with a population about the size of Anchorage, Alaska (approx 300,000) readers would think the book might be a bit more comprehensive and up to date. The most current edition is two years old, and apparently a lot has changed in those two years, i.e. the Icelandic Phallogical Museum has been moved from Rekyjavik to Husavik. I found more helpful advice and information from on-line encyclopedias, the tourist information booths, and from word of mouth from other travellers. This book is excellent if you want suggestions about what to see and do, but I suggest you thoroughly research your selections from alternative sources before setting off on an adventure. I repsected and even liked the television show Lonely Planet on the Travel Channel (now called Globe Trekker) but I will never purchase another guide book from that name ever again.

Poor example of a "guide" book.......2006-08-15

I just came back from a two week tour of Iceland with two friends. Our experience was memorable--amazing--LP Iceland, however was not. We read the book front to back. We went around the whole of the island and didn't stay just in Reykjavik. We also camped 70% of the time- just to give a little background. What we found was that the book is so poorly written and for the most part so out of date, that much of the usefull information we got was from just grabbing the free pamphlets at the "Upplysinga" Centers. In the back of the book it says that the first edition was printed several years ago, and only last year did two writers go back out "into the field." I'd like to know what field that was? If these two men actually went back to Iceland, I'd bet my money that they only went to Reykjavik obtained information from pamphlets concerning other parts of Iceland and then wrote from those documents. Not much thought was put into the style of writting as well, or editing for that matter. Every site in Iceland (and I'm not arguing that this is untrue) could leave you captivated for several days, hold your attention for several days, enough to do to keep you several days...etc [paraphrasing]. I just feel that if I'm going to have to pay even $2 for a tid bit of information I would at least hope that it was well researched and not a half-baked job. My time and money, especially when in Iceland, are more valuable to me that having to chase around a tiny West Fjord village looking for a nonexistant camping site because I relied on an unreliable "guide" book. Lesson learned: LP Iceland poor poor example of what I know others say is one of the best guide books out there. I'm sticking to DK.

The Best Guide to Iceland.......2006-07-16

I just returned from 7 days in Iceland and have to say the the Lonely Plant guide is by far the best guide to Iceland that is available. After walking Reykjavik my first day there, getting the "lay of the land", I found myself constantly referring back to the guide for more information. Fundamentally, the guide was right on with regards to descriptions and identifications, and totally accurate.

I would highly recommend this guide for anyone taking their first trip, or subsequent trips to Iceland.

Fire and Ice.......2006-07-02

Format hard to follow, print is very, very small, hard to read. Did not find it helpful in planning my trip to Iceland. This book was not useful to me at all. Next time I purchase a travel book, I will select it from a bookstore. Some books are fine to purchase on-line, but not for something like this. I was hoping it would provide details on how to plan a trip to Iceland, tour guides or self guided.

lost planet - iceland.......2006-06-22

This is a good book - for the most part. I used it extensively and found most things pretty accurate (you know, some of the restaurants went out of business, some new ones sprang up, but thats to be expected). The prices have really shot up since the last publication, particularly on lodging. But as far as itinerary recommendations, I thought these guys were right on.

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland

Average customer rating:

Heaven On Earth?
WONDERFUL BOOK
Good, but a missed oppurtunity
Greenland & Ethnographic Study of Eskimo Culture
This Cold Heaven

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland
Gretel Ehrlich
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679442006
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

From the acclaimed chronicler of open spaces, Gretel Ehrlich, comes a stunning and lyrical evocation of a practically unknown place and people. Beginning in 1993, Ehrlich traveled to Greenland, the northernmost country in the world, in every season--the four months of perpetual dark (in which the average temperature is 25 degrees below zero), the four months of constant daylight, and the twilight seasons in between--traveling up the west coast, often by dogsled, and befriending the resilient and generous Inuits along the way. Greenland, unlike its name, is 95 percent ice--a landscape of deep rock-walled fjords, glaciers, narwhal whales swimming among icebergs the size of football fields, walruses busting through oceans of shifting ice. In the far north, the polar Inuit--the "real heroes"--still dress in bear and seal skins, and hunt walrus, polar bears, and whales with harpoons. The only constant is weather and the perilous movements of ice, the only transport is dogsled, and the closest village may be a month and a half-long dogsled journey away. The people share an austere and harsh life, lightened with humor and the fantastic stories of Sila, the god of weather, Nerrivik, the goddess of waters, of humans transforming themselves into animals, and interspecies marriages. Interwoven with Ehrlich's journey is the even more remarkable story of Knud Rasmussen, the founder of Eskimology, an Inuit-Danish explorer and ethnographer who took some of the most hazardous and brilliant expeditions ever, including a three and a half-year, 20,000-mile adventure by dogsled across the polar north to Alaska. Like Rasmussen, Ehrlich learns that the landscape of Greenland is "less a description of desolation than an ode to the beauty of impermanence." Alternately mind-expanding, gripping, and dreamlike, This Cold Heaven is a revelation. --Lesley Reed

Book Description

For the last decade, Gretel Ehrlich has been obsessed by an island, a terrain, a culture, and the men and women who long for and love the complex frailties and treacherous beauty of a world defined by ice.

Greenland, the world’s largest island, 840,000 square miles in extent, is covered by the largest continental ice sheet in the world.

Only the rocky fringe of its coast is habitable. There, the Inuit, the Arctic’s first explorers, have survived and thrived in the harshest of climates. For the Inuit, an ice-age, ice-adapted people who first traveled from Siberia across the polar North six thousand years ago, weather is consciousness. In a world composed of ice and darkness, water and light, where skins of dog, seal, bear, even hare and eider duck, are sewn into clothes, tents, and sleeping bags as protection, where transport is by dogsled and kayak, the only rein for the uncontrollable force of weather is an unbending self-discipline. The blend of physical endurance and psychological perseverance required for daily existence first drew Ehrlich to this terrain.

Her guide, her inspiration, her companion in spirit was the great Danish-Inuit explorer and ethnographer Knud Rasmussen. Between 1902 and his death in 1933 he launched seven expeditions: to record the unknown history and customs of the nomadic Eskimos; to chronicle the skills, beliefs,and crafts that made life in this climate possible and a matter of grace. For Rasmussen, “all true wisdom is only to be found far from the dwellings of man, in great solitudes.” As she followed his trail, Ehrlich was to find the things that can open the mind to what is hidden from others. This Cold Heaven is at once a distillation of her many journeys, a path into a world divided into darkness and light and, finally, an attempt to capture the clarity that blinds us with surprise.

Customer Reviews:

Heaven On Earth?.......2006-07-25

In "This Cold Heaven", Gretel Ehrlich extolls the life of the subsistence hunters of Greenland. Her writing is really very nice and brought this remote place to life for me. Jared Diamond's "Collapse" gave us the picture of the european Greenlanders and now Ehrlich gives us the picture from the 'other side of the hill.'

The beauty of the environment and the struggle for sanity in the long dark made very interesting reading, having spent 20 winters in Minnesota where it is dark a mere 16 hours a day.

I'm not sure she takes her observations to their logical conclusion, however. The life she admires is that of the subsistence hunter. What makes it admirable for her is the totality of it, the self-sufficiency, the purity. But that life evolved out of necessity, which has been overtaken by modern life. Most Greenlanders live off the supply ships; only a handful hunt for a living. These few are restrictive in their practices, using rifles but eschewing outboard motors and snow mobiles, for example.

In other words they are playing an elaborate game of 'survival.' They could make it easier for themselves but they don't because it makes it more of a challenge. The fact is, there is no obvious reason for people to go around in dogsleds hunting walrus. They could be educating themselves for the future instead of clinging to an outmoded past.

I think she understands this. I say that because of the incident of the polar bear, where she urged that it not be killed. She accompanied the hunters by dogsled to polar bear country for the specific purpose of getting a bear. Then when it came time to pull the trigger she wanted the men to let it go.

In that moment she understood that synthetics are just as good as bear skin for keeping warm. Food can be gotten from the shelves thanks to the supply ships. Transportation to any place in the world is available. There is no longer any need to shoot polar bears in order to survive, and she knew it.

There is honor and purity in modernity, too. We meet Fred, who has been forecasting the weather at Thule for 27 years. I'm a forecaster, too. I can relate to Fred, and I understand why he has stayed there all this time. While his duties benefit the well-being of everyone on that base, he has undertaken a wider quest, that of comprehending nature and humanity in his specific setting. It is similar to that of the hunter, in that it is also an internal quest which reveals oneself.

Only Fred really knows why is there. Only Jens and Mikele really know why they go out on the ice to hunt. Fred could retire to Punta Gorda. Jens could go to Copenhagen and relax. Gretel slides past this whole matter. But then, her eyes were bothering her.

WONDERFUL BOOK.......2006-06-09

I really enjoyed this book, Gretel takes you with her in her travels and experiences to one of the most starkley beautiful places in the world.
great book to read in the heat of summer.
wonderful tales, wonderful author.
I could feel the ice, well reading this book.

great insightful book.....
one you will want to have on your shelves for ever.

Good, but a missed oppurtunity.......2005-04-13

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. She obviously deeply respects the people who she spent time with in Greenland. However, as she barely hints at, there are problems under the surface with alcoholism dysfunctional families and sexual abuse. By glossing over the darker side of things and portraying the Innuit as "noble savages" she provides us with a one dimensional portrait of thier way of life.

Greenland & Ethnographic Study of Eskimo Culture.......2005-03-06

This ethnographic study and travel guide about Greenland reminds me of Paul Theroux' "Happy Isles Of Oceania" which I read about 10 years ago; also her compressed prose reminds me of Annie Proulx author of "Close Range" with whom she shared the adopted state of Wyoming, also of James Michener, author of "Alaska". I have also read this author's "Heart Mountain" which I enjoyed a lot,and more recently "The Future Of Ice". .
Ehrlich's frequent plane trips between Copenhagen and Greenland and her stopovers at the state-of-the-art American military base at Thule, Greenland give the book a link to the outside world, but beyond the airports she transports the reader to a culture many thousands of years old and also with a multitude of current social problems based on the clash between the Danish, who arrived in the 18th C., and indigeneous cultures.
She interviews numerous Danes with Eskimo blood or vice versa, or other expatriates, including information on an American artist Rockwell Kent, who decided to give up on modern society in favor of some more ancient or traditional values. Hence they become New Age subsistence hunters in Greenland. The book also includes several interesting chapters on the explorations of the Arctic by the Dane Rasmussen in the 1920's, who did his own ethnographic studies, as well as by other less renowned explorers. Rasmussen travelled all the way across the Canadian Arctic from Greenland to Alaska. You will be impressed with the breadth of knowledge Ehrlich has about her subject as well as her anecdotal knowledge of modern astronomy; really this is her own ethnographic study, and you will be surprised at the countless small details of living in such an unusually cold, white climate with polar seasons that include many months of total darkness or total light, and the great importance of dogs and dogsleds in their culture. One of the obvious consequences of living in -30-40 degree temperatures is the layers of clothing a human must wear, not to mention the Eskimos' unusual food choices,the threats of starvation and the resultant cannibalism, and age-old hunting practices. Really an eye-opener for those who live in the middle latitudes.

This Cold Heaven.......2004-06-18

This book was a treasure that fell, I don't remember whether one morning or night, from Book TV. Being of Norwegian ancestry, and having ancient voyagers in my direct line, I became fascinated with the author's story. Hoping to find some tales of native legends and myths of the kind that Sigrid Undset's historical novels had first drawn to my attention, I bought the book.

I was not disappointed. Ehrlich weaves her words by alternating the fabric of her seven seasons with allied chapters of other Northern wanderers and explorers. This organization, I feel, makes the book somewhat hard to read in two or three sittings. Yet every page is worth the effort.

Having flown over both Greenland and Iceland, I can verify that Greenland is white and Iceland is green. But snow and ice is not just white, and a sled is not just a sled. Erhlich's language is richly nuanced and lyrical. She has the gift of writing prose like a poet. Having lived her stories, she knows her subject, and you easily feel yourself in her shoes as she relates her experiences.

Book Description

The expanded Second Edition of Dr. Rothman's acclaimed Modern Epidemiology reflects the remarkable conceptual development of this evolving science and the engagement of epidemiologists with an increasing range of current public health concerns. This landmark work is the most comprehensive and cohesive text on the principles and methods of contemporary epidemiologic research. Coauthored by two leading epidemiologists, with 15 additional contributors, the Second Edition presents a much broader range of concepts and methods than Dr. Rothman's single-authored original edition. Coverage of basic measures and study types is more thorough and includes a new chapter on field methods. New chapters on advanced topics in data analysis, such as hierarchical regression, are also included. A new section covers specific areas of research such as infectious disease epidemiology, ecologic studies, disease surveillance, analysis of vital statistics, screening, clinical epidemiology, environmental and occupational epidemiology, reproductive and perinatal epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, and nutritional epidemiology.

Customer Reviews:

oy.......2007-01-04

didnt care for this book. Good information, but presented poorly. I think there are better textbooks out there now that present information clearer and in less words and without crazy equations.

WORST epi book for students!!!.......2006-11-16

This text is not suitable for students at all. You will get more use out of this book as a doorjamb. Very disorganized and poorly written. Takes straightforward epidemiologcial concepts and overly comlpicates them. Don't believe the 5 star ratings. They are highly suspect and appear to be written by the authors themselves or their groupies. If you are a student trying to learn epidemiology, avoid this book at all costs.

A good reference on shelf.......2006-06-21

It is a good refence-type textbook for epidemiology. I first used it in my introductory course of epidemiology at Harvard University's program of Master of Public Health. Even Prof. Rothman came to classroom in person for several lectures. It was a good book but accompanying books were needed for better understanding of the topic. Now I am in my PhD program at National Taiwan University, Taiwan and using the book for the 2nd time. There are still new things to discover from the book. For a reader who uses the textbook twice in graduate studies, I recommend it as a guide or outline for further exploration into the field. Advanced studies require lots of reading, aren't they? It should be on your shelf, for future reference, but not the only one.

The standard textbook in the field.......2004-10-25

With all the pros and cons of an advanced-level book written by many authors, this work is widely considered the standard text in the field. As a professor of mine says, every epidemiologist should have it on her/his bookshelf.

unnecessary details on statistics subject.......2004-04-26

I agree with many reviewers here that the book is great, but poorly organized and put too much on statistical methods. I have read through it from cover to cover for my exams. Nevertheless, the first part discussion is very good, but you need to read other books before reading Rothman's book. Acutally, I really hate Greenland's writing, it is too obscure. I would not recommend this book to students.

The Rough Guide to Iceland 3 Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

Just returned
Loaded with useful information
A Good First Effort for a Great Series
So much to see!

The Rough Guide to Iceland 3 Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Rough Guides
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1843537672

Book Description

The Rough Guide to Iceland is your complete handbook to uncovering the delights of Europe’s largest glacier. From Reykjavik’s nightlife to the dramatic Western Fjords and table-top mountains to the rich birdlife of Lake Myvatn, the full-colour introduction highlights all the ‘things-not-to-miss’. For every town and village there are insider reviews of the all best places to stay, eat and drink, both on and off the beaten track, with the new ‘Author’s Pick’ feature highlighting the very best options. There is plenty of practical advice for a host of outdoor activities, from skiing on the Vatnajökull glacier to whale-watching and viewing the Northern Lights. The guide also looks at Iceland''s rich Viking history and its extraordinary geology and wildlife.

The Rough Guide to Iceland is like having a local friend plan your trip!

Customer Reviews:

Just returned.......2007-09-13

Very organised and detailed guide book. Each section has a "highlights" introduction, allowing for an easy and quick planing of the next day tour.
All detailed we have used (phone numbers, email addresses) were up-to-date.
The context chapter, encompassing Iceland history and overview on geography is a good reading - just what you need when you have an hour to read, and would like to know more on the place you visit.

Loaded with useful information.......2003-09-29

I've not used other Rough Guides before, but a friend swears by them, so I tried this one for Iceland. I also got the Insight Guide, which had pretty pictures and background info but little else. The Rough Guide was infinitely more useful, and I totally relied on it during a weeklong trip around Iceland. We drove all the way around the ring road and out to the Westfjords, and the only incorrect piece of information we found in the entire book was the price at one guest house. Plenty of info on where to stay and eat, what to see and do, and background information was useful and interesting. My one criticism is the maps, they are small and only of small regions of the country (but what are you going to do in such a small book?). It would have been nice to have a large, comprehensive map of the island, so we bought a large road map in addition. The book was particularly useful in the isolated parts of Iceland where 'towns' on maps consisted only of a single house or 2. It was comforting to know the Rough Guide contained accurate information we could rely on to find a place to stop on those remote roads.

A Good First Effort for a Great Series.......2001-09-06

The ROUGH GUIDE series has produced some wonderful books -- I am particularly fond of the titles on France and Scotland, which I have used extensively. This is their first crack at Iceland, and it is a commendable, if not outstanding, effort.

As a result of a recent 15-day trip to Iceland, I can say that it is mostly reliable but far from exhaustive. For one thing, the emphasis is on sleeping bag accommodations exclusively. (Okay, maybe I'm not quite so "rough" a traveler: Two weeks in the same smelly down bag is not my idea of comfortable travel.) Also, the book omits many very viable accommodation options, such as the Bolti farmhouse at Skaftafell. Also many oustanding restaurants such as the well-known Bautinn in Akureyri are unaccountably missing.

What did this guide have to say about my guesthouse in Reykjavik (the excellent Baldursbra)? Only that it had "rather narrow beds and unfortunate floral curtains." Good grief! Firstly, the size of single beds in Iceland tends to be quite standard: No extra inches were shaved off. Secondly, the curtains were indeed floral but not so aggressively bad as suggested by the writers of the guide, who appear to have been suffering from a bad hair day.

On the plus side, the "Basics" and "Contexts" sections are both useful and entertaining introductions to travel in this most fascinating of destinations. I've always regarded a good bibliography as an asset to any guide, and this one has an excellent one. Included is a helpful summary of the key Icelandic sagas, a knowledge of which is essential to understanding the uniqueness of Iceland.

You won't go far wrong with this guide, but there is room for improvement in editions to come. For now, I recommend the 2001 Edition of the Lonely Planet Guide as being the most authoritative guide.

So much to see!.......2001-06-15

We had a 3-day stopover in Iceland, and used the Rough Guide as our main source of information. The information in the book was accurate and very useful, especially when driving in the less populated areas. It was nice to know which towns had fuel stations, cafes, guesthouses, etc. It was a little confusing when we drove east from Vik, and the book was written as if driving west toward Vik, but we managed.

The sections on culture and history were also very useful when planning a trip to a place we'd never been before. This book and a good map (1250 ISK at the tourist information desk) is all you should need for a great trip.

Average customer rating:

Historical textiles from Greenland

Instant Classic

Delicious addition to fiber history

Woven into the Earth: Textiles from Norse Greenland
Else Ostergard , and Else Stergard
Manufacturer: Aarhus Universitetsforlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Viking Clothing

Dress in Anglo-Saxon England, Revised and Enlarged Edition

Medieval Clothing and Textiles I (Medieval Clothing and Textiles)

Viking Age Headcoverings From Dublin (Medieval Dublin Excavations)

Dress Accessories, C.1150-c.1450

ASIN: 8772889357

Book Description

One of the century's most spectacular archaeological finds occurred in 1921, a year before Howard Carter stumbled upon Tutankhamun's tomb, when Poul Norlund recovered dozens of garments from a graveyard in the Norse settlement of Herjolfsnaes, Greenland. Preserved intact for centuries by the permafrost, these mediaeval garments display remarkable similarities to western European costumes of the time. Previously, such costumes were known only from contemporary illustrations, and the Greenland finds provided the world with a close look at how ordinary Europeans dressed in the Middle Ages. Fortunately for Norlund's team, wood has always been extremely scarce in Greenland, and instead of caskets, many of the bodies were found swaddled in multiple layers of cast-off clothing. When he wrote about the excavation later, Norlund also described how occasional thaws had permitted crowberry and dwarf willow to establish themselves in the top layers of soil. Their roots grew through coffins, clothing and corpses alike, binding them together in a vast network of thin fibers - as if, he wrote, the finds had been literally sewn in the earth. Eighty years of technical advances and subsequent excavations have greatly added to our understanding of the Herjolfsnaes discoveries. "Woven into the Earth" recounts the dramatic story of Norlund's excavation in the context of other Norse textile finds in Greenland. It then describes what the finds tell us about the materials and methods used in making the clothes. The weaving and sewing techniques detailed here are surprisingly sophisticated, and one can only admire the talent of the women who employed them, especially considering the harsh conditions they worked under. While "Woven into the Earth" will be invaluable to students of mediaeval archaeology, Norse society and textile history, both lay readers and scholars are sure to find the book's dig narratives and glimpses of life among "the last Vikings" fascinating.

Customer Reviews:

Historical textiles from Greenland.......2007-08-12

This hard-cover book, translated from Danish, is a fascinating look at an obscure treasure. Clothing found in the ancient settlements of Greenland (1000 A.D.) is discussed, color photos and drawings explaining construction details of the garments are included. It is a beautiful book and anyone interested in clothing or textiles of the middle ages will consider it a must-have.

Instant Classic.......2005-04-12

It is rare that more than a few shreds of fiber survive from an archaeological site. Thanks to the unique climate and soil conditions in Greenland, we have a number of whole garments that have survived from about a 200-year span during the middle of the medieval period. Until now, most of that information was known in detail only to specialists. Ms. Ostergard's book collects the information she and her colleagues have derived from the Greenland finds and presents it clearly and succinctly, with full color photographs and line illustrations describing the weave, cut, pattern and techniques used to sew the items in meticulous detail. This book is a permanent asset to the study of medieval costume, an instant classic and, thanks to its clarity of writing and layout, useful even for the costumer.

Delicious addition to fiber history.......2005-02-28

superb. The binding is good, the paper is good, the editing appears to be good, the content is way coool. The pictures (printed on a very fine semi-matte paper) are very clear; there are diagrams of almost every weave discussed, and clear discussions of all the weaving tools found in Greenland and some other Norse sites, as well as the material, dyes and finishing methods. Two garments are diagrammed on graph paper (a hood and a dress). The writing is clear and interesting and accessible, and the writers clearly care about the people who were behind the artifacts they are examining.
My only additional desire would be for a summary of the recent research on the history and demise of the Greenland colony (and maybe an explanation of the two-page statement in Inukitut (?)).

If you are a costumer or a scholar or a fan of weaving in different circumstances from the ones we enjoy now, this is a rewarding and fascinating book.

The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future

Average customer rating:

The Two-Mile Time Machine
Excellent Book
Time Traveler
Want to understand climate change?
What happened?

The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future
Richard B. Alley
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691102961

Book Description

Richard Alley, one of the world's leading climate researchers, tells the fascinating history of global climate changes as revealed by reading the annual rings of ice from cores drilled in Greenland. In the 1990s he and his colleagues made headlines with the discovery that the last ice age came to an abrupt end over a period of only three years. Here Alley offers the first popular account of the wildly fluctuating climate that characterized most of prehistory--long deep freezes alternating briefly with mild conditions--and explains that we humans have experienced an unusually temperate climate. But, he warns, our comfortable environment could come to an end in a matter of years.

The Two-Mile Time Machine begins with the story behind the extensive research in Greenland in the early 1990s, when scientists were beginning to discover ancient ice as an archive of critical information about the climate. Drilling down two miles into the ice, they found atmospheric chemicals and dust that enabled them to construct a record of such phenomena as wind patterns and precipitation over the past 110,000 years. The record suggests that "switches" as well as "dials" control the earth's climate, affecting, for example, hot ocean currents that today enable roses to grow in Europe farther north than polar bears grow in Canada. Throughout most of history, these currents switched on and off repeatedly (due partly to collapsing ice sheets), throwing much of the world from hot to icy and back again in as little as a few years.

Alley explains the discovery process in terms the general reader can understand, while laying out the issues that require further study: What are the mechanisms that turn these dials and flip these switches? Is the earth due for another drastic change, one that will reconfigure coastlines or send certain regions into severe drought? Will global warming combine with natural variations in Earth's orbit to flip the North Atlantic switch again? Predicting the long-term climate is one of the greatest challenges facing scientists in the twenty-first century, and Alley tells us what we need to know in order to understand and perhaps overcome climate changes in the future.

Customer Reviews:

The Two-Mile Time Machine.......2007-10-09

This is the book that every ill informed environmental and agenda driven policy wonk should read regarding climate. It is very readable; explains the science of weather and climate (They are two different things), and presents very thought provoking and serious issues. The point of millions of research dollars and tens of thousands of hours of research and study is that what we are experiencing today is not the norm. Humans, for the last ten thousand years, have had the luxury of an unusally stable and begnin climate with only minor weather disturbances as opposed to wildly changing climates of the past. The wild climate changes shift quickly rather than over thousands of years and very likely will do so again. Yes humans contribute some gases to the atmosphere (Carbon being the one most targeted), but water vaper is the biggest greenhouse gas with methane number three. Do we get rid of them too? The point is, that as the earth climate continues to warm (And it will do so without our help)there is only one climate response, and that is a quick return to deep cold (And cold lasts longer than warm), how do we prepare for wild climate swings? How many millions of people will be dislocated by continued warming and then sever cold? How much more energy will be needed to survive longer winters and cold that reaches further south than human history recalls? Where do we grow the food to feed the billions of us?

Excellent Book.......2007-01-10

Richard B. Alley can spin a good yarn. The book was very enlighting, I enjoyed the professional script. My hat's off to him & wish him luck in his future endeavors regarding the issues of past climates.

Time Traveler.......2006-09-12

Is global climate change a threat to humanity? Our best evidence comes from an uninterrupted 2-mile ice core taken from the Greenland ice pack. A pristine record of climate events over the last 110,000 years is displayed as delicate annual ice layers containing trapped atmospheric glasses, volcanic ash, pollen, lead levels, and isotope ratios. Dr. Alley's personal involvement in the project gives insight into the hardships and technical hurdles faced by scientists collecting this remarkable ice core. He does a good job of describing the intricate science that leads to a startling forecast -- our peaceful-appearing world is actually subject to wildly gyrating climate changes that can swing 40 degrees within a few years. During the last few millennia, have we have enjoyed a period of anomalous warm stability almost unprecedented in the 110,000 record of the ice core -- a happy condition that could suddenly end due to greenhouse warming from human industrialization. Within the space of a few years, high temperatures could melt the antarctic, flood our shorelines, and stall the gulf stream that brings warm tropical water to the British Isles. By the last half of the century, England might be buried under glaciers, and the distribution of our world's deserts and rain forests could be reshaped by chaotic, planet-wrecking storms. Science fiction? Not according to Dr. Alley -- whose ice cores show many similar events throughout history. The last half of Dr. Alley's book seems less interesting than the first -- perhaps because of his scientific hesitation at predicting what will really happen. The vast cost, the loss of biodiversity, and the potential threat to human lives -- or even our civilization -- is left mostly to the reader's imagination. Nevertheless one fact is clear -- we are riding a climate roller coaster that may soon start to take some sickening dips -- and the key to our survival may be locked within quiet, blue layers buried deep within the Greenland ice mass. -- Auralgo

Want to understand climate change?.......2006-04-12

In contrast to some other reviewers, I did NOT find this book a big yawn. I was fascinated by the exposition of how conclusions can be drawn about climate change. Alley briefly explains several different methods, but goes into detail on how ice cores can be used to make educated guesses about past climate. Very simply, every year there is a new layer on top of the Greenland glacier that can be analyzed chemically and differences in the chemical makeup of the layer reflect differences in the underlying climate (temperature).

I found the book fascinating, although it reads somewhat like a textbook rather than a story. However, my purpose in reading it was to try to understand for myself how conclusions on climate change are being reached, and the book fills that purpose admirably.

What happened?.......2005-05-21

Alley created an excellent Scientific American article ("Abrupt Climate Change", November 2004, available online) in terms of information and engaging writing style. His "Time Machine", though occasionally informative, reads like a slow elementary-school or sagacious politician's overview. "Many clever people are studying things in ice, and learning many things." Yawn. Maybe this was his intent, though nowhere are we forewarned. He's best when reporting his personal adventures in the ice core data recovery field he's part of. A crucial hinge in the unfolding "climate change" arena - what we used to call "global warning" until PR firms (minions of political parties and conglomerates, generously applying political correctness) changed the name to sound less ominous. This book is not about the most recent GRIP, Greenland Ice Core Project, cataloging 123,000 years of earth's atmospheric history in that region (and some 2 million year old plants to boot). It does reveal findings of a previous drilling - good for 110 millennia - and the Vostok ice core, extending back about 450,000 years. (Take that Creationists.)

These cores read like pages in a book, one year's ice layer piled atop another, trapping gases, dust and aerosols in each. According to Alley (repeated by Brian Fagan) the good news is, compared to previous interglacial warming periods, we humans have been remarkably lucky during the Holocene, the last 12,000 years (since the invention of agriculture), with relatively stable climate, except for a few major hiccups. The bad news is plural. Contrary to opinions, measurable, repeatable data shows we have among the highest concentrations of CO2 in these recorded histories; The thermohaline circulation (the ocean's equator-to-pole hot/cold exchange system) is a smoking gun in massive change (which according to NOAA data is shutting down via ice melt freshening); And the biggest news of all - ice cores show dramatic, even catastrophic climate shift, as Alley writes, "in less time than it takes it get a college degree". Oops. Apparently nature has a threshold. Once tripped, it's a long ride back - about a hundred thousand years. Such audacity nature has to act in a nonlinear fashion is inexcusable.

But nature and man are not without their ironies. While politicians, conglomerates and talk show hosts paint their rosy picture of longer summers on the beach (ignoring these beaches may be under water) or flourishing plant life in CO2-rich atmospheres (ignoring they may be fried in heat and dryness), as it turns out ice ages are triggered by warming. Standby. Exciting times coming, except nobody knows when. The Pentagon considers global warming a national security risk (at least enough to fund a study) - though to what generation? We'll keep rolling the dice, but at least Alley is trying to sound the alarm. Unfortunately, to the world's biggest offender, we heard all this in the Sixties, then tried to change the world by collecting litter on Earth Day - that's been a thousand fads ago. Nobody's listening.

Average customer rating:

Global cooling
Good, not great
Sorry to have finished it
An Epic of 14th Century Greenland
Haunting and unforgettable.

Greenlanders, The
Jane Smiley
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394551206
Release Date: 1988-03-12

Book Description

"HAUNTING."
--The New York Times Book Review
Jane Smiley, the Pultizer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, gives us a magnificent novel of fourteenth-century Greenland. Rich with fascinating detail about the day-to-day joys and innumerable hardships of remarkable people, The Greenlanders is also the compelling story of one family--proud landowner Asgeir Gunnarsson; his daughter Margret, whose willful independence leads her into passionate adultery and exile; and his son Gunnar, whose quest for knowledge is at the compelling center of this unforgettable book. Echoing the simple power of the old Norse sagas, here is a novel that brings a remote civilization to life and shows how it was very like our own.
"TOTALLY COMPELLING . . . FASCINATING . . . In the manner of the big books of the nineteenth century, in which complex family and community matters unravel--Dickens, Dumas, Tolstoy--The Greenlanders sweeps the reader along. . . . Jane Smiley is a true storyteller."
--The Washington Post
"A POWERFUL, MOVING STUDY OF HUMAN FRAILTY AND THE EPHEMERAL NATURE OF COURAGE AND LOVE."
--USA Today
"WONDERFUL . . . A HISTORICAL NOVEL WITH THE NEARNESS OF CONTEMPORARY FICTION."
--The New Republic
"[AN] EPIC MASTERPIECE . . . SPELLBINDING."
--Newsday

Customer Reviews:

Global cooling.......2007-08-25

Today I read a news article about Greenland entitled "Climate Change Is a Mixed Bag for Inuit." I had to smile at that since I have just finished reading Smiley's book, which recreates the society of Greenland at the end of the 1300's when the problem was global COOLING. Nowadays, the fjords are ice free by April or May (instead of July): that contrasts with the ice and hard winters coming earlier and earlier for the ancient Greenlanders. Then, farms were abandoned, people died of disease and starvation, the Inuit had to come further south to hunt. And Smiley even contrasts this to the hardy folk and explorations of Erik the Red's time. Who knows? Maybe as our own century proceeds, we will see farmers again in Greenland!!
This extraordinary novel spins out many of the conflicts of the time: between and within families, between the Church and the old Nordic laws represented by the dwindling number of lawsayers, between the old culture of "riches" and the rapidly approaching destitution, between the settlers and the Inuit. The book is so rich in theme and character; the reader will find many more conflicts to mull over. Most of all, in the lives of these people, we see ourselves in all of life's cycles. Smiley's style evokes the way these people thought and talked, with a predominance of the old Anglo-Saxon lexicon that is our heritage as English speakers.
This eloquent book is in the great tradition of "Kristin Lavransdatter" by Sigrid Undset (the translation by Charles Archer had me mesmerized) and "Giants in the Earth" by Rolvaag.

Good, not great.......2007-05-28

I'm a huge fan of hers. There were a few things that I didn't like about this one:
1) Too long and repetitive. 1/4 could have been pruned
2) Weak character development
3) Confusing at parts

Sorry to have finished it.......2007-05-01

A really good read. This spare and yet rich tale spun out over generations had me longing for a loom and a trencher of dried reindeer meat. As I turned the last page, I ruefully left my paperback time-travel machine and returned to the time of packaged foods and incandescent lighting.

An Epic of 14th Century Greenland.......2007-01-14

This book reads and is written as an epic, a sprawling novel, illustrating the customs, weather, beliefs, habits, and lifestyle of the people of Greenland in the Middle Ages. There is a lot of detail, about hunting parties, shoes, tiny beds built into walls, imaginary creatures, and most importantly the relationships of the people.

Haunting and unforgettable. .......2006-07-16

I first read this book soon after it came out in 1988 or `89, and its magic has never left me even after having reread it more than once since. The story, written in spare but illuminating saga style and historically accurate as far as it's known, vividly fleshes out a time and place, a society struggling to survive while being virtually forgotten by the outside world, a society of which many today are unaware that it ever existed. The novel spans generations, set during the latter half of the 1300s to early 1400s (some evidence indicates that the last Greenland Norse remnants in the Eastern Settlement may have held on into the early 1500s). Although its two widely separated settled areas never numbered more than a total of perhaps five thousand persons at the max, to ask why it disappeared is, in a real sense, to put the cart before the horse. As the late geographer Carl O. Sauer reminded us in his 1968 book "Northern Mists," the first thing to be asked -- the obverse, the first side of the question of why Norse Greenland failed -- is how it survived for five hundred years. This remarkable medieval people endured over a span as long as that of the Roman Empire and a century longer than the American culture has yet done since the first permanent English settlements of the early 1600s with far more support from overseas. With a sure hand Smiley portrays a distinctive slice of humanity in all its strengths, weaknesses, capacity for good and evil, fallability, wisdom, and stoic acceptance of its own mortality. Unlike some more recent writing of hers I've seen, the author essentially "tells it like it is," and in the manner of a true saga lets the chips fall where they may -- thus allowing the reader to make one's own judgments. This book is a masterpiece.

Average customer rating:

Easily the best guide for Iceland
The best of the bunch.
For Iceland-YES, For Greenland or Faeroes-NO!

Lonely Planet Iceland
Fran Parnell , and Etain O'Carroll
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1741045371

Book Description

Test the echo while swimming in warm blue waters inside a Volcano at Viti crater, p308.

Play the wild thing and join the runtur, a mad pub-crawl around Reykjavik's progressive nightlife, p98.

Break the silence as you roar across Vatnajokull icecap on a snowmobile, p294.

See the fjords in a new light on a guided midnight kayaking tour, p264.

Two expert authors and over 800 hours of on-the-ground research.
New inspirational itineraries for chasing the northern lights or finding a summer spot to whitewater raft

Get an Icelander's perspective on immigration, religion and the current music scene in an all-new Culture chapter

Customer Reviews:

Easily the best guide for Iceland.......2007-07-29

We just returned from a family vacation to Iceland (July 2007) and this was easily the best guide book out there. Very current (no other guide was nearly as up to date), fairly comprehensive and quite spot-on in its observations, it was truly indispensable at times.

The best of the bunch........2007-07-25

Prior to my latest trip to Iceland I purchased a vast array of travel guides: The Rough Guide to Iceland; Insight Guides Iceland; Globetrotter Travel Guide; and Travellers Iceland (Thomas Cook). All of these titles are good and each provided some unique insights. However, when it was time to head to Iceland, and luggage space was at a premium, the only book I took with me was Lonely Planet Iceland. Quite frankly, I can't think of any other praise that would convey so much. Minimal b.s. and concise descriptions, this is as good as it gets. Essential. Highly recommended.

For Iceland-YES, For Greenland or Faeroes-NO!.......2007-06-08

We've been waiting for 1.5 months for this book to arrive. Despite delayed publication it arrived yesterday - 5 days before we leave for a month-long trip to Iceland and Greenland. To keep others from being equally misled by Amazon's sub-title "Lonely Planet Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands") I'm writing to notify all that this book has a combined total of TWO (count 'em!) pages on Greenland and the Faeroe Islands. This is solely an ICELAND guide book (and probably a very good one). Amazon needs to remove reference to Greenland and the Faeroes in the title as this is very misleading. Lonely Planet has a 2004 edition on "Greenland and the Arctic" which we will be forced to rely on, despite its dated information, for the Greenland segment of our trip.

Greenland & The Arctic (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

Good Greenland guide - Crappy Arctic guide...
Perfect for those few travellers headed to Greenland
A take-along 'must' for any destination-bound traveler

Greenland & The Arctic (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)
Etain O'Carroll , and Mark Elliott
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1740590953

Book Description

Kayak past towering icebergs, dog-sled frozen tundra to picture-postcard villages, marvel at the midnight sun or dancing northern lights - Greenland and the Arctic are the perfect backdrop to an unforgettable experience. Whether you crave quiet solitude or bold adventure, this inspiring and practical guide takes you to the heart of the cold north.

• EXPLORING MADE EASY - slumber in colorful cottages, dine on reindeer or sail the coast in style, with our extensive, practical listings

• PLAN YOUR ADVENTURE - inspiring itineraries for exploring the Arctic Circle, from Lapland to Deadhorse, Nuuk to the North Pole

• GET BENEATH THE SURFACE - topical coverage of cultural and environmental issues affecting the region, with chapters on indigenous peoples and Arctic research projects

• AMAZING ENDEAVORS - from Norse voyages to legendary explorers, storybrook adventures uncovered in our dedicated history and exploration chapters

Customer Reviews:

Good Greenland guide - Crappy Arctic guide..........2007-06-01

For those who want a good read and a good guide to fascinating Greenland, then this book will do it (though I think the previous edition of LP's guide to Greenland had a bit more coverage - especially the more off-the-beaten-track settlements). But anything beyond Greenland, LP seems to really lose interests in the rest of the Arctic world. It seems as if they just threw in a few sections just to say that they've covered it... It should really be titled "Greenland and an Introduction to the rest of the Arctic". All they give you are some sloppy details of a few selected regions under their "suggested itineraries" sections for other Arctic regions.

Living in Northern Canada myself (Yukon by the way...not Vancouver), I know that there are tons to offer for any Arctic fan. But this LP guide has missed out so much...to mention a few:

1) Yukon - there's more to this territory than just Dawson and Dempster Hwy...such as Old Crow, Vuntut & Ivvavik Parks, and simply the rest of Yukon itself. BTW, Whitehorse, which is the hub of the Yukon, sits at about the same latitude as Qaqortoq in Greenland. It's sub-Arctic...but close enough...

2) NWT - Yellowknife, the areas around Great Bear Lake such as Deline and Tulita, etc... same thing, its all sub-Arctic environments similar to Inuvik's...what's the problem?

3) Nunavut - there's a lot more places than just Baffin Island or Resolute...how about Kitikmeot and Kivalliq regions? Every region of NU is worth a visit.

4) Nunavik (Northern Quebec) - how could they forget this beautiful Arctic region of Quebec? Colourful villages, beautiful landscapes, rich Inuit culture ...even the LP guides to Quebec/Canada mention very little on this region. Better do your planning online... though slightly southerly regarding its latitude and location, this place has nothing but Arctic landscapes and climate.

5) Northern Labrador - another beautiful Inuit region of Labrador completely forgotten on this so-called "Arctic" guide...

6) Scandinavia - Northern Norway is very beautiful, but this guide only gives you a vague idea of this fascinating region. Buy the individual guides instead (Norway, Sweden, Finland...but don't bother with the "Scandinavian Europe" unless you only plan to see only a few places from each country)

7) Arctic Russia - I know its a difficult place to go to, but there are fascinating untouched areas out there in Siberia. But this book covers very little of this vast region...especially the Far East - Chukotka. Even LP's "Russia" guide is next to useless to this region if you're really interested into visiting these areas. Once again, do your homework online...

8) Alaska - get the "Alaska" guide instead...

I was quite disappointed with this LP publication. I hope their next edition will be a heck of a lot better. Otherwise, its a waste of time and money. It's really just a Greenland guide ...but for the rest of the Arctic, don't count on it...

Perfect for those few travellers headed to Greenland.......2005-11-19

Apart from Antarctica, this is the most obscure place covered by LP. Half of the book (about 165pp) is specifically about Greenland in the customary LP format, and the remainder is about other Arctic regions. (One tidbit: It is impossible to fly to Nuuk, the capitol, without changing planes in another Greenlandic town.)

This guide covers a casserole of places that cannot conceivably be visited on a single itinerary, because so few Arctic air routes cross national borders. For example, charter flights between Canada (Iqaluit) and Greenland were terminated after the book went to press, so now it's impossible to fly from North America to Greenland without going through Europe.

Alaskan coverage is only Fairbanks and points north; Yukon is Dawson and north. The Inuvik region and nearly all of Nunavut are covered. Places like Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Anchorage are too far south to be covered in this volume, which is unfortunate because it's impossible to reach northern Alaska without passing through either Anchorage or Whitehorse.

Also covered are Arctic Russia, northern Norway (town of Mo and north), and northern Finland (Rovaniemi and north). The end result is a book that's fun to read but of doubtful utility except for those few Greenland-bound travellers.

A take-along 'must' for any destination-bound traveler.......2005-09-05

The second updated edition of Etain O'Carroll & Mark Elliott's Greenland & The Arctic is out, and is an indispensable guide for any heading North sans travel group. From overviews of regional history and culture to local sights, activities, and opportunities, Greenland & The Arctic highlights all kinds of opportunities, from transportation options between small towns and remote regions to rare shopping opportunities and plenty of nature. A take-along 'must' for any destination-bound traveler; especially since relatively few other titles cover the region in depth.

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