This is a smallish format softback production; the only English language account specifically dealing with the history (story might be a better word, as the author suggests) of east Greenland. It is an account of this huge and sparsely populated area written for the general reader, but could also be useful as a starting point for more serious study, since it is indexed and has a short bibliography.
The author makes it clear from the outset that he has not attempted an exhaustive study of his subject and that he has little personal first hand knowledge of east Greenland. Nevertheless, he has achieved a useful and interesting account of some of the published material on the region.
The introduction is a hugely over-simplified geographical summary of such a large area and does not follow the conventional subdivisions. Very early settlement is described briefly and the summary of early European activities is useful, in which published information is scanty and hard to come by.
Nineteenth century European exploration from Scoresby onwards is given much more detailed treatment, together with Danish exploratory ventures. Pioneering expeditions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are well covered, with many passages of quotation from a range of published sources. Expeditions such as Amdrup's pioneering voyages down the difficult and dangerous Blosseville Kyst and Mylius-Erichsen's ill-fated explorations are recounted at some length, together with some of the early over-wintering experiences and problems. Perhaps surprisingly for a north American book, Peary's and, later, Louise Boyd's ventures are not given prominence.
The completion of the ‘ring’ of exploration around northern Greenland is covered, followed by the early attempts at social engineering by Einar Mikkelsen and others, based, one might say, on the results of the early exploratory expeditions. Although there is relatively little study in the book about Inuit matters of this era after World War I, expeditions at that time became more numerous and more intensively scientific, and these are covered at some length. The sovereignty issue is also covered but not discussed in any depth.
World War II in East Greenland is summarised, with some of its strange events, but the post war period is only scantily touched on, with emphasis mainly on Eigil Knuth and the British north Greenland expedition. The development of aviation and its importance to east Greenland, the formation of the national park, the Sirius Patrol and most recently the development of arctic tourism are given scant or non existent coverage.
The main strength of this book thus seems to lie in its quite detailed descriptive summary of expedition activity in east Greenland from the early nineteenth to the mid twentieth century, loosely set in a geographical and historical context but without much in the way of analysis.
Being a north American production, the sterling price is not cheap and the standard of production is, in this reviewer's opinion, not altogether commensurate with the price. The illustrations are in black and white and are poorly printed on the same weight and quality of paper as the text. Even modern images are poorly reproduced and text shows through them from the reverse side of the page.
