The North preserved its secrets for long. The ancient Greeks called the remote and extreme north 'Thule'. The Arctic zone was the last on earth for man to explore and chart. Ultima Thule narrates the 2500 year long history of explorations of the northern areas from Pytheas to Peary, from antiquity through the Vikings and the great journeys of exploration to the conquest of the North Pole. The unknown North is described through the daring adventures of such early sailors as Erik the Red, Barents and Bering or explorers of the wilds like Chelyuskin and Franklin. The journeys of the great scientific explorers - Cook, Nordenskiöld and Amudsen - remind the reader of the bravery of those who set their sights towards the uncharted North. With 260 unique illustrations of excellent quality, Ultima Thule - Arctic Explorations provides an indispensable survey and source of information on the discovering of the extreme North. Ultima Thule also recounts the history of northern cartography and navigation; how the mythical north gradually took shape on maps, to become part of the European world picture. For the first time this book studies broadly - with the aid of unpublished drawings and charts - Arctic expeditions from both East and West.