(All items are from the James Wheeler collection unless otherwise noted. Items that have been digitized in full include a link to the item in the Digital Library. Other items may be digitized and available through other institutions.)
Amundsen, Roald. The South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the "Fram," 1910-1912. John Murray ; Lee Keedick ..., 1925.
Amundsen, Roald, and Lincoln Ellsworth. Our Polar Flight. Dodd, Mead, and Company, 1925.
Amundsen, Roald and Lincoln Ellsworth. First Crossing of the Polar Sea. George H. Doran Company, 1927.
Amundsen, Roald, and Godfred Hansen. Roald Amundsen's "The North West Passage": Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship "Gjöa" 1903-1907. 2 vol. Archibald Constable and Company Limited, 1908.
Byrd, Richard Eveyln. Skyward. Putnam, NY. 1928.
Carte de visite portrait of Dr. E. K. Kane, undated. Published by E. Anthony. 501 Broadway, New York. From Photographic Negative from Brady’s National Portrait Gallery.
Carte de visite portrait of Elisha Kent Kane, undated.
Cherry-Garrard, Apsley. The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctic, 1910-1913. London: Constable & Co., 1922.
Cook, James. A Voyage Towards the South Pole, and Round the World. Performed in His Majesty's Ships the Resolution and Adventure, in the Years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775. Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1777.
De Long, George W., and Emma Wotton De Long. The Voyage of the Jeannette: The Ship and Ice Journals of George W. De Long, Lieutenant-commander U.S.N. and Commander of the Polar Expedition of 1879-1881. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1884.
"Farthest South; or, Two Boys Who Reached the Pole" / by J. G. Bradley. Happy days: a paper for young and old, v. XLV, no. 1159. New York: Frank Tousey. December 30, 1916. (From the Art Curiosa collection).
Finding the North Pole: Dr. Cook's own story of his discovery, April 21, 1908 / the story of Commander Peary's discovery, April 6, 1909 / together with the marvelous record of former Arctic expeditions. W.E. Scull, 1909.
Franklin, John. Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea, in the Years 1819, 20, 21, and 22: With an Appendix Containing Geognostical Observations, and Remarks on the Aurora Borealis. Philadelphia: H.G. Carey & L. Lea, A. Small, Edward Parker, M'Carty & Davis, B. & T. Kite, Thomas Desilver, and E. Littell, 1824.
Gilder, William H. Ice Pack and Tundra: an account of the search for the Jeannette and a sledge journey through Siberia. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1883.
"Gordon Keith, Whaler; or, A Chase Through the Frozen North" / by Lawrence White, Jr. Brave and Bold Weekly, no. 266. New York: Street and Smith. January 25, 1908. (From the Art Curiosa collection).
Greely, A. W., et al. Three Years of Arctic Service: An Account of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881-84, and the Attainment of the Farthest North. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1886.
Hall, Charles Francis. Narrative of the Second Arctic Expedition made by Charles F. Hall. J. E. Nourse (ed.) Washington: Government Printing Office, 1879.
Hayes, Isaac Israel. An Arctic Boat Journey, in the Autumn of 1854. Philadelphia: Brown, Taggard and Chase : J.P. Lippincott [etc.], 1860.
Hayes, Isaac Israel. The Open Polar Sea: A Narrative of a Voyage of Discovery Towards the North Pole, in the Schooner “United States.” London: Sampson Low, Son, and Marston, 1867.
Henson, Matthew Alexander. A Negro Explorer at the North Pole. Frederick A. Stokes Company, publishers, 1912.
Hondius, Hendrik. Polus Antarcticus. [3rd ed.]. [Amsterdam], Jan Jansson, 1650. (From the John F. Smith, III and Susan B. Smith Antique Map collection).
Hondius, Hendrik. Poli Arctici, Et Circumiacentium Terrarum Descriptio Novissima. [Amsterdam], Ioannem Ianssonium & Henricum Hondium, 1638. (From the John F. Smith, III and Susan B. Smith Antique Map collection).
I, Nuligak. Translated from the Eskimo by Maurice Metayer ; illustrations by Ekootak. Peter Martin Associates, 1966.
Kane, Elisha Kent. Arctic Explorations: The Second Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin, 1853, '54, '55. Childs & Peterson; [etc., etc.], 1856.
Kane, Elisha Kent. The U.S. Grinnell Expedition in search of Sir John Franklin a personal narrative. New York: Harper and Bros., 1853.
Kane (Elisha Kent) Scrapbook, 1854-1857.
Mawson, Douglas. The Home of the Blizzard: Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914. J.B. Lippincott Company ; William Heinemann, 1914.
Mayo, William Starbuck. Never Again. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1873.
McClintock, Captain. The Voyage of the "Fox" in the Arctic seas: a narrative of the discovery of the fate of Sir John Franklin and his companions. London: Murray, 1859.
McClure, Robert John Le Mesurier, and Sherard Osborn. The Discovery of the North-west Passage. 2d ed. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, 1857.
Melville, George W., and M. Philips. In the Lena Delta: A Narrative of the Search for Lieut.- Commander De Long and His Companions, Followed by an Account of the Greely Relief Expedition and a Proposed Method of Reaching the North Pole. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1884.
Mowat, Farley. Never Cry Wolf. McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1963.
Mowat, Farley. The Desperate People. Michael Joseph, 1960.
Mowat, Farley, and Samuel Bryant. People of the Deer. Little, Brown and Company, 1952.
Mowat, Farley. Tundra: Selections from the Great Accounts of Arctic Land Voyages, with Illustrations and Maps. McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1973.
Nansen, Fridtjof, and Otto Neumann Sverdrup. Fridtjof Nansen's "Farthest North": Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship Fram 1893-96 and of a Fifteen Months' Sleigh Journey By Dr. Nansen and Lieut. Johansen. London: George Newnes, 1898. (From Art Curiosa collection).
Nares, George S., and H. W. Feilden. Narrative of a Voyage to the Polar Sea During 1875-6 in H.M. Ships 'Alert' and 'Discovery'. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1878.
National Geographic Society (U.S.), et al. "Discovery of the Pole: First Report by Frederick A. Cook September 1 1909 ; First Report by Robert E. Peary September 6 1909." National Geographic Magazine v. 20, no. 10. National Geographic Society, October 1909. p. 892-915.
Nickerson, Sheila. Midnight to the North: the untold story of the Inuit woman who saved the Polaris Expedition. Jeremy P. Tarcher, 2002.
Our Lost Explorers: The Narrative of the Jeannette Arctic Expedition as related by the survivors, and in the records and last journals of Lieutenant De Long. Revised by Raymond Lee Newcomb. Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company, 1882.
"Out with the Jeannette; or, Two Years Among the Icebergs" / by a Herald Reporter. Five Cent Wide Awake Library. New York: Frank Tousey, July 23, 1882. (From the Art Curiosa collection).
Peary, Josephine Diebitsch, and Marie Ahnighito Peary. Children of the Arctic. Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1903.
Photograph, Portrait of Lincoln Ellsworth. Inscribed: "To Mrs. Edward Stafford [Marie Ahnighito Peary] / with sincere regards/ Lincoln Ellsworth/ November 1936."
Photograph, Portrait of Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd in uniform, undated.
Portrait engraving of Sir John Franklin, Capt. R. N. Print by James Thomson after William Derby. London: Fisher, Son & Co., 1830.
Quad, Matthias. Novi Orbis Pars Borealis, America Scilicet Complectens Floridam, Baccalaon, Canadam, Terram Corterialem, Virginiam, Norombecam, Pluresque Alias Provincias. S.l., s.n., 1600. (From the John F. Smith, III and Susan B. Smith Antique Map Collection.)
Receipt for items, signed by John Franklin, Capt. RN Commander of the Expedition, February 7, 1825. (for the Mackenzie River expedition that added over 1,000 km of North American coastline to the map).
Ross, John, Sir. A Voyage of Discovery, made under the orders of the Admiralty, in his Majesty's ships Isabella and Alexander for the purpose of exploring Baffin's Bay, and enquiring into the possibility of a North-West Passage. John Murray, Albermarle-Street, 1819.
Saturday Globe, v. 17, no. 10, Saturday, July 24, 1897 (Utica, N.Y.: William T. Baker). A Strange Visitor to the Arctic Region. (From the Art Curiosa Collection.)
"Saved at the Pole; or, The Rescue of the Lost Explorers" / by J. G. Bradley. Happy days: a paper for young and old, v. XXXVIII, no. 984. New York: Frank Tousey. August 23, 1913. (From the Art Curiosa collection).
Scott, Robert Falcon, et al. Scott's Last Expedition in Two Volumes: Vol. I. Being the Journals of Captain R.F. Scott, R.N., C.V.O. Vol II. Being the Reports of the Journeys and the Scientific Work Undertaken by Dr. E.A. Wilson and the Surviving Members of the Expedition. Dodd, Mead and Company, 1913.
Simmons, Dan. The Terror: A Novel. Back Bay Books, 2018.
Shackleton, Ernest Henry, et al. The Heart of the Antarctic: Being the Story of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-1909. J.B. Lippincott Company, 1909.
Shackleton, Ernest Henry. South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917. William Heinemann, 1920.
Stefansson, Vilhjalmur. The Adventure of Wrangel Island. Jonathan Cape LTD., 1926.
"Trim Among the Esquimaux; or, A Long Night in the Frozen North" / by the Author of "Nick Carter." New Nick Carter Library, no. 4. New York: Street and Smith. January 23, 1897. (From the Art Curiosa Collection).
Typescript Letter, To: Mr. Mac'Alister, From: Fridtjof Nansen, January 20, 1893.
United States. Navy Department, et al. Narrative of the North Polar Expedition: U.S. Ship Polaris, Captain Charles Francis Hall Commanding. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1876.
Weldon, Dwight. Under the Polar Star; or, The Young Explorers / by Dwight Weldon. New York : Albert Sibley & Co, 1886. (From the Art Curiosa Collection).
"Arctic." Woodwell Climate Research Center. https://www.woodwellclimate.org/research-area/arctic/.
“Arctic Sea Ice Extent.” Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA. climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice. Accessed 12 Nov. 2021.
“Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis.” National Snow and Ice Data Center. nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews.
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. The Ohio State University. byrd.osu.edu.
“Logbooks of the US Navy at the National Archives.” National Archives. www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/uss-jeannette.html. Accessed 27 July 2021.
“Old Weather.” www.oldweather.org. Accessed 27 July 2021.
Schmaltz, Jeff and Kathryn Hansen. “A Nearly Ice-Free Northwest Passage.” NASA Earth Observatory, earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/88597/a-nearly-ice-free-northwest-passage. Accessed 12 Nov. 2021.
Sides, Hampton. “Why an 1879 Voyage is a Time Machine for Climate Change.” Wall Street Journal, Aug 1, 2014, www.wsj.com/articles/why-an-1879-voyage-is-a-time-machine-for-climate-change. Accessed 26 July 2021.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO). public.wmo.int/en.
“The Arctic: Exploration Timeline.” Polar Exploration. Woods Hole Oceanic Institution. polardiscovery.whoi.edu/arctic/timeline.html.
Britannica, The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia. "Arctic: Study and Exploration." Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Jan. 2022, www.britannica.com/place/Arctic/Study-and-exploration. Accessed 7 January 2022.
Britannica, The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia. "Antarctica: The ‘heroic era’ of exploration.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Jan. 2022, www.britannica.com/place/Antarctica/History#ref24727. Accessed 7 January 2022.
Cavell, Janice. “FRANKLIN, Sir JOHN,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed January 7, 2022, www.biographi.ca/en/bio/franklin_john_7E.html.
Dodge Ernest S. and C. C. Loomis, “HALL, CHARLES FRANCIS,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 10, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed December 15, 2021, www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hall_charles_francis_10E.html.
“Icescapes: Printing the Arctic.” Picturing Places. British Library. www.bl.uk/picturing-places/articles/icescapes-printing-the-arctic.
Johnson, Robert E. “KANE, ELISHA KENT,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed January 7, 2022, www.biographi.ca/en/bio/kane_elisha_kent_8E.html.
Lopez, Barry Holstun. Arctic Dreams. Vintage Books, 2001.
Mitman, Hayden. “Philly Explorer Elisha Kent Kane to be Honored at Laurel Hill Cemetery.” Philly Voice. August 23, 2016. www.phillyvoice.com/philly-explorer-elisha-kent-kane-to-be-honored-at-laurel-hill-cemetery/.
McCannon, John. A History of the Arctic: Nature, Exploration and Exploitation. London: Reaktion Books, 2012.
Schulz, Kathryn. “Literature’s Arctic Obsession.” The New Yorker. April 17, 2017. www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/24/literatures-arctic-obsession.
Stefansson, Vilhjalmur. Unsolved Mysteries of the Arctic: Introduction by Stephen Leacock, Telling How This Book Came to be Written. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1939.
“The Search for the Northwest Passage.” The Voyages of Captain James Cook. British Library. www.bl.uk/the-voyages-of-captain-james-cook/themes/the-search-for-the-northwest-passage.
The James Wheeler Collection is part of Falvey Memorial Library's Distinctive Collections. This collection contains over 400 items and cataloging is still in process.
Browse and search completed cataloged records in the library's online catalog.
View a selection of digitized items from this collection in the Digital Library.
