As global warming melts polar ice and opens northern seaways, a book on Arctic exploration couldn’t be timelier. This one fills the bill in grand style. Filled with rare illustrations, it tells stories of triumph and tragedy in the search for the fabled Northwest Passage and the race for the North Pole. Along with familiar explorers, including Captain Cook, Amundsen, and Byrd, it introduces readers to the men behind the names on the map, such as Barents and Bering, as well as unfamiliar but equally important navigators, such as Franklin, Cheluskin, and Nordenskiold.