"Wilson does an admirable job of bringing this exceptional, multi-faceted man sharply into focus." Globe & Mail A Man Exact and Truthful: John Rae and the Northwest Passage is the exciting story of a fascinating life filled with remarkable tales of survival, heartbreaking tragedies, shipwrecks and scandals. Born in 1813 in Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland, John Rae was a doctor and explorer who worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company, mapped vast tracts of land in the Canadian Arctic and was one of the first Europeans to show respect for Inuit customs and to take inspiration from their Arctic survival skills. He also answered two great 19th century Arctic questions: what happened to Sir John Franklin's lost expedition and where was the final link in the Northwest Passage? He deserved to be honoured as one of the most successful polar explorers of his generation, but when he returned to London with tales of cannibalism amongst Franklin's desperate and doomed men, he was vilified in a slanderous campaign led by Franklin's widow, Jane, and Charles Dickens. History has shown the truth of Rae's assertions and it is time that he took his rightful place in exploration history. John Wilson brings this fascinating man and his times to life in an exciting, fast-paced narrative. The book is illustrated with sketches, maps and archival photographs. "John Wilson brings his considerable storytelling talents to Rae's life, relating the details in short, easy-to read chapters, but losing none of the action and adventure." CCBN Short-listed for the 2004 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction.