Follows the author's reconstruction of the survival story of four eighteenth-century Russian sailors who were shipwrecked on the barren Arctic island of Svalbard for six years, discussing the events of the ice wrecking, the four survivors' minimal provisions, their dependence on driftwood for fire, and their near-death experiences in the wake of polar bear attacks. 40,000 first printing In 1743 a Russian ship bound for walrus-hunting grounds in the Arctic was wrecked by ice during a gale, stranding the vessel's four survivors on the barren island of Svalbard. They survived for six years with almost no provisions. The men miraculously found a prefabricated log cabin left behind by an earlier expedition. Their only possessions were a musket, a knife, an ax, a kettle, 20 pounds of flour, a tinderbox and a small amount of tinder, a pouch of tobacco, and four pipes. Roberts tells how they killed 10 polar bears with homemade lances and how they made bows and arrows to kill reindeer and foxes. Roberts, the author of 14 other books, writes that their lives depended on keeping a fire going, fueled only by driftwood. In researching the book, Roberts went to libraries and archives on two continents, and he led a four-man expedition to Svalbard. The book is an astonishing story, an almost unbelievable feat of survival. George Cohen Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Peter Stark Author of Last Breath: the Limits of Adventure Four Against the Arctic is a fascinating inquiry by one of the world's best exploration writers into an incredible feat of survival. Using Sherlock Holmesian logical rigor and a mountaineer's wilderness savvy, David Roberts transports us on an engrossing and obsessive high-Arctic quest to unravel the mystery of the four shipwrecked Pomori sailors. -- Review David Roberts is the author of fifteen previous books on topics ranging from mountain climbing to adventure to Native Americans and the American West. He has written for numerous publications, including National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, Smithsonian, The New York Times Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, and others. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Used Book in Good Condition