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John Rae, Arctic Explorer – the unfinished autobiography

Now, if there was ever a book that deserved the label of “weighty tome” it’s this one. More than 500 pages of recollections from moderately famous explorer John Rae. Probably best remembered for delivering the news that fellow explorer Sir John Franklin was definitely dead, Rae nevertheless did a good deal more exploring in very chilly places. That said, a fair amount of his time must have been devoted to writing his memoirs, as this is an epic book which – incredibly – is unfinished. Editor William Barr fills in any gaps in the text and it’s lavishly illustrated with lots of maps and pictures of John Rae looking bearded and chilly in a range of cold places. I confess that time defeated me in my attempts to