The First Crossing of Greenland

First published in English in 1890, this book by Norwegian explorer and scientist Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) recounts the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, an expedition that took two months. Learning from previous failed attempts, Nansen suggested crossing from the uninhabited east to the inhabited west of Greenland, an innovation that proved successful. Nansen's account was translated by Hubert Majendie Gepp and includes an introduction written by J. Scott Keltie, secretary of the Royal Geographical Society. Volume 1 describes the initial stages of the journey including detailed descriptions of the equipment, methods used for crossing the ice and the arrival of the party on the East coast of Greenland. Volume 2 begins with the party leaving the East coast for the West, including lengthy descriptions of the climate and encounters with Inuit peoples, and includes an appendix of the scientific discoveries of the expedition.