"For centuries British navigators dreamed of finding the Northwest Passage - the route over the top of North America that promised a short cut to the fabulous wealth of Asia. We now know that several passages exist, and if climate change continues some may soon be open, but for most of the period of the search they were choked by impassable ice. Knowledge was won only at great cost as expedition after expedition, often in the most terrible conditions, added to patchy and sometimes fatally misleading charts. Arctic Labyrinth tells the extraordinary story with great skill and brilliance. From the tiny, woefully-equipped ships of the first Tudor expeditions to the steam-powered vessels of the Victorian age and the icebreakers of the modern era, Glyn Williams describes how every form of ingenuity was tried in order to break through the ice barriers set across a nightmarish maze of tortuous channels and sterile islands. The heroism, folly and horror of these voyages were almost unbelievable: men suffered and died from scurvy, frost-bite and starvation, entire ships were crushed in the ice - and all in pursuit of a goal that proved futile. Williams's book is an important work of exploration and maritime history, and a remarkable study in human delusion and fortitude."--Provided by the publisher.