Laktionov, Alexander
Northern Land: Islands of the Soviet Arctic. Earlier description of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago.
Northern Land: Islands of the Soviet Arctic. Earlier description of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago.
Laktionov, Alexander [Northern Land: Islands of the Soviet Arctic]. Severnaia Zemlia. Ostrova Sovetskoi Arktiki.
Arhangel'sk, Ogiz, Severnoe kraevoe izdatel'svo, 1936.
8vo, 120 pp., ill., map.
In original pictorial wrappers.
In good condition, small tears to spine extremities.
First edition. One of 5 000 copies printed.
Earlier description of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, accompanied by maps, tables, and photographs, was provided.
In this book, Alexander Laktionov (1899-1965), an oceanologist and polar explorer, recounts the history of the discovery and exploration of Severnaya Zemlya, detailing the expeditions led by Georgy Ushakov, Nikolay Urvantsev, and Otto Schmidt from 1929 to 1936. Laktionov analyzes the topographical features and geological composition of Severnaya Zemlya, characterizing its glaciers, their conditions, and the navigational challenges they pose. He also explores the climate, flora, and fauna of the region. The final chapter, 'People of the Northern Land', sheds light on Laktionov's colleagues and their contributions to the development of the archipelago.
Urvantsev, a key participant in the expeditions to the archipelago, was sentenced to many years in prison in 1938. Consequently, his name was omitted in later editions dedicated to polar expeditions of the 1930s, and his books from that era were banned.
The book includes an extensive bibliography.