The Northwest Passage was repeatedly sought for over four centuries. From the first attempt in the late 15th century to Roald Amundsen's famous voyage of 1903-1906 where the feat was first accomplished to expeditions in the late 1940s by the Mounties to discover an even more northern route, author Alan Day covers all aspects of the ongoing quest that excited the imagination of the world. This compendium of explorers, navigators, and expeditions tackles this broad topic with a convenient, but extensive cross-referenced dictionary. A chronology traces the long succession of treks to find the passage, the introduction helps explain what motivated them, and the bibliography provides a means for those wishing to discover more information on this exciting subject.

Author Biography

Alan Day, a qualified librarian for 45 years, retired in 1990 as the head of the Department of Library and Information Studies in Manchester Polytechnic. Dr. Day is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. He has contributed numerous articles and essay to a wide variety of academic and professional journals, and he is the author of J.B. Priestly: An Annotated Bibliography (1979) and A Supplement (2001); three volumes on the British Library (1988, 1994, and 1998); three titles in the world Bilbliographical Series, England (1993), Falkland Islands (1996), and St. Helena (1997); and Historical Dictionary of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia (2003).