"In this new volume, The First and Second Arctic Medals (1818 to 1876), John Myres has concentrated entirely on the 19th Century and, following the same general format as the earlier volumes, has further expanded it to explore the lives and careers of the almost 2500 men who had been awarded the First Arctic Medal (with some 1500 medals being issued), as well as the 155 men who were awarded the Second Arctic Medal. This was because it had dawned on him that much more justice should have been done to all the intrepid souls who had explored, searched and sometimes died in the Arctic in the 19th Century. Whilst the 'mini-bios' of some of the more senior officers were reasonably detailed, many of the sailors and marines had often only been described in a single (usual short) sentence, and he felt that they deserved that more about their lives and careers should be recorded, not least because this would allow descendants, researchers and collectors, a fuller framework upon which to build if they wished to explore them further. As well as tracing the background and career of each man, and sometimes his death, this new volume also includes, wherever possible, a record of all the other medals and awards that he received in addition to his Arctic Medal. As the middle of the 19th Century involved much naval activity and conflict, many of the Arctic Medallists acquired a number of other campaign medals, as well as Long Service and Good Conduct Medals, and this record will be useful to collectors and descendants who possess these and can now link them to the men 's service in the Arctic."--Provided by the publisher