Richard Sale was born in England's West Country - reason enough to feel sympathy with all minorities who speak with strange tongues.Being quite good at sums he took a degree in theoretical physics and a PhD in astrophysics, and then sought a job in glaciology in order to be nearer his first great loves, snow and ice. He is now a travel writer, specialising in wilderness areas, most particularly the Arctic. He fell in love with Iceland the first time he saw it - barely, through the fine rain that was falling - and has been going there, summer and winter, ever since. He is constantly frustrated by its weather and endlessly fascinated by its mixture of landscapes, its bird life and its people (though not always in that order). He would like to thank several Icelandic friends for their (sometimes inadvertent) assistance with this book. Sadly, none of them is willing to be identified.