In 1743, a Russian ship was blown off course and trapped in ice off the coast of Svalbard (Spitzbergen), a barren Arctic island. Four sailors went ashore with only two days' supplies, and only twenty pounds of flour for food. Upon return they found the ship had vanished, apparently crushed and sunk by the ice. Blessed with courage and ingenuity, the men survived more than six years of unimaginable hardship--including polar bear attacks--until another ship blown off course rescued them. An expert on the literature of adventure, David Roberts was incredulous when he first heard the story. His near-obsessive quest to find the true story culminated with his own journey to the same desolate island. Here, Roberts shares the remarkable story that he discovered, a meditation on the genius of survival against impossible odds. Riveting and haunting, Four against the Arctic chronicles an incredible true story. "An inspirational survival story." -- "Publishers Weekly" "Dogged research and hard travel to distant places make for a gem in the literature of survival under dire conditions." -- "Kirkus Reviews" "The book is an astonishing story, an almost unbelievable feat of survival." -- "Booklist" "The tale at the heart of this recording is one of the greatest feats of wilderness survival in history...Robertson Dean's reading [is] well paced and keeps the narrative moving." -- "AudioFile" David Roberts (1943-2021) was the author of thirty books on mountaineering, exploration, and anthropology. His books won the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature and the Grand Prize at the Banff Mountain Book Competition. Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating. Yuri Rasovsky (1944-2012) was the leading writer, producer, and director of audio drama in the United States. Also a distinguished actor, narrator, and critic, his numerous honors include two Peabody Awards, eight Audie Awards, and a Grammy.