This book is a practical, portable guide to all of the Arctic's natural history—sky, atmosphere, terrain, ice, the sea, plants, birds, mammals, fish, and insects—for those who will experience the Arctic firsthand and for armchair travelers who would just as soon read about its splendors and surprises. It is packed with answers to naturalists' questions and with questions—some of them answered—that naturalists may not even have thought of. Pielou (After the Ice Age, LJ 3/1/91) again focuses on the far North in this guide to the natural history of the Arctic. While broader in scope than Bryan Sage's Arctic and Its Wildlife (LJ 4/1/87), her book is not as easy to read and lacks photography. Pielou sets the stage with opening chapters on the sky, climate, sea, and earth formations. The remaining chapters cover plants, birds, mammals, fish, and insects. A map in the plant section codes the locations for all the life forms, while charts and line drawings by the author have sufficient detail to help the reader recognize the physical formation or life form. Pielou intends this guide to be taken into the field, and the book's arrangement encourages that use. Generally recommended for libraries in Canada and Alaska and where the Arctic is of interest. Jean E. Crampon, Hancock Biology & Oceanography Lib., Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. E. C. Pielou , a former professor of mathematical ecology and Killam Professor at Dalhousie University, has been a naturalist all her life. She is the author of many books, most recently Fresh Water , A Naturalist’s Guide to the Arctic , and After the Ice Age ,all published by the University of Chicago Press.