My Life with the Eskimo

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 484 ratings

Price: 18.37

Last update: 12-28-2024


About this item

Who are the Eskimo peoples? And how do they survive in the freezing conditions of the far north?

Vilhjálmur Stefánsson left New York in April 1908 to begin his journey northwards and into the Arctic Circle. For the next two years, he made his way northwards to Victoria Island to study an isolated group of Inuit who still used primitive tools and had strong Caucasian features, and whom some believed were descended from Vikings. The journey into these remote areas was incredibly tough and being delayed by blizzards Stefánsson, along with his companions, were forced to eat the tongue of a beached whale that had been dead for at least four years.

Stefánsson, who learnt how to communicate with the Inuit, provides fascinating insight into the beliefs and every day life of these people.

“The book is full of psychologic and human interest, and of clear-cut observation of many different kinds.” (The North American Review)

“This book contains a wealth of ethnological and biological information … this is a valuable contribution to the scientific study of the Eskimos, by one who knows them thoroughly.” (The Literary Digest)

“It is impossible to analyze with certainty the amalgam of motives underlying the ceaseless movement of northern exploration, but the lure of the difficult and the dangerous can hardly be less active than the desire to enlarge bounds of human knowledge.” (The Nation)

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in this remarkable expedition and for people who want to find out more about life of people in the far north prior to the advent of modern technology. Vilhjálmur Stefánsson was a Canadian Artic explorer and ethnologist. Under the auspices of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, he and Dr. R.M. Anderson undertook the ethnological survey of the Central Arctic coasts of the shores of North America from 1908 to 1912. The results of this expedition were My Life with the Eskimo first published in 1913. Stefánsson passed away in 1962.


Top reviews from the United States

  • M B
    5.0 out of 5 stars I found this book fascinating.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2018
    Really interesting read. This is a story of a people who spend most of their time looking for food. Never really thought about it before but they have no good way of preserving large amounts of food. They do smoke some but most of the time they are out on the hunt with maybe a couple of days worth of food for backup. The do cache some supplies but no guarantee someone else won't eat it. They cut and ate meat off the same washed up whale carcass for two years Makes our lives look pretty easy in comparison. In addition, you realize just how tough and hardy these people are. They walk everywhere and one guy walked 150 miles ... to pick up the mail and a few supplies. Even though there seemed to be a lot of game - they were normally successful - a military group starved to death because they did not know how to hunt.
  • Alexander J. Wiedmann
    4.0 out of 5 stars Long ready
    Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2018
    Interesting story. Good evidence that vegetables are in no way required to live a long, healthy, active life. But lots of typos in its transcription to digital format.
  • Cynthia Woodruff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021
    A fascinating journey through an inhospitable environment. The author becomes as an eskimo to fully appreciate and understand these remarkable peoples, their land and their adaptation to it. A wonderful read.
  • H.G.L.
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have read on the Arctic .
    Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2019
    A great book of early 20th century Arctic exploration. Stefansson went totally native, adapting native travel and living completely off the land . His admiration of the Inuit is limitless and unlike some other early explorers he loved his dogs and the adventures and hardships they shared. No matter how tough it got, he refused to kill and eat them. I found one of his camps this summer on a 375 mile arctic river trip this summer and how cool it was to sit there, look at the tree stumps they once cut to stay warm while they were subsisting on seal oil with caribou hair for a chaser. A must read for those interested in the arctic.
  • Shari
    3.0 out of 5 stars A detailed and though account of turn of the 20th century Eskimo
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2021
    A somewhat tedious however complete account of nearly four years with the various communities of the Arctic circle Eskimos including vast amounts of information on the flower and fauna of the region.
  • ML
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book about the arctic and Eskimo of the early 20th century.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2021
    I enjoyed the book very much. It does seem to drag a bit at the end. This is a book for the student of arctic and sub arctic lands and the Eskimo people at the beginning of the 20th century. The author is very enlightened for his time.
  • Tokay
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stepping Back in Time
    Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2019
    You will enjoy this book if the 'great explorer' days interest you. The Arctic is not a wasteland, not barren. A network of peoples, native and non-native, travel extensively over vast distances relying on the abundance of nature. The breadth of this book is extraordinary describing peoples, trade, animals, plants, weather, and geography.. It is not a quick read, sometimes bogging down in repetitiveness, but do not skip over any section for it may contain a jewel. The culture of the Eskimo is observed and reported by one who had a unique opportunity to do so. I highly recommend this book to those sharing these interests.
  • anne z. cooke
    1.0 out of 5 stars Pleased at the content; disappointed with the cheap reprint
    Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2014
    The content of this book, which I have read before, is fascinating. But I was disappointed that this copy is a cheap reprint of the original. Either that was not accurately specified in the sale information, or it was so unclear that I didn't realize what I'd be getting. I would have happier with an original in any condition. I understand that original copies are not easy to find; even when it was new, the book was not particularly popular. But scarcity alone doesn't make a book rare or valuable. While the content is of interest to a few readers, it is just one of many such early Arctic diaries, and not a prized possession.

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