The human story has always been one of perseverance—often against remarkable odds. The most astonishing survival tale of all might be that of 16th-century Dutch explorer William Barents and his crew of 16 who ventured farther north than any Europeans before and, on their third polar exploration, lost their ship off the frozen coast of Nova Zembla to unforgiving ice. They would spend the next year fighting off ravenous polar bears, gnawing hunger, and endless winter.

Drawing on her new book Icebound, journalist Andrea Pitzer shares this gripping tale of survival in conversation with wildlife biologist and author Jonathan C. Slaght. Set against a sweeping history of the great Age of Exploration, the story focuses on William Barents, whose larger-than-life ambitions and obsessive quest to chart a path through the deepest, most remote regions of the Arctic ended in both tragedy and glory.

Pitzer also discusses the extensive research she conducted for the book, learning how to use 400-year-old navigation equipment, setting out on three Arctic expeditions to retrace Barents’s steps, and visiting replicas of Barents’s ship and cabin.

Copies of Icebound (Scribner) are available for purchase.

Book Sale Information

• Purchase your copy of Icebound by Andrea Pitzer here.
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