Overview

This creative non-fiction biography of the celebrated Arctic explorer Dr John Rae begins in 1854 when, on a mapping expedition to the Boothia Peninsula, Rae discovers the missing link in the Northwest Passage. On the same trip, a chance encounter with an Inuit hunter leads him to uncover the tragic fate that befell the officers and crew of the long-missing Franklin Expedition when, starving on the ice, they resorted to cannibalism. When the Scottish-born scientist and Hudsons Bay Company Chief Factor reports the shocking details about the mens demise to the British Admiralty, he is publicly belittled by such well-known Victorian society figures as the novelist Charles Dickens and Sir John Franklins widow, Jane. From then on, Raes life becomes a restless journey of soaring hope and bitter disappointment, as he attempts to restore his good reputation with the British public, defend the integrity of the Arctic natives who brought him detailed testimony about the evidence of cannibalism, and rebuild his shattered identity. Raes search for what has been lost takes him to Hamilton, Lower Canada, across Ruperts Land to the Pacific Coast, to the Faroe Islands, across Greenland, and then finally home to the Orkney Islands where yet another turn of events catches him by surprise.

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9781553804819

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Alice Jane Hamilton skilfully blends fact and fiction to breathe new life into the thrilling story of John Rae, the most successful, and yet least celebrated, Arctic explorer of the 19th century. - Tom Muir, author of Orkney Folk Tales

Author Information

Alice Jane Hamilton is the great-great granddaughter of Arctic explorer John Raes sister, Marion Sibbald (Rae) Hamilton, who moved with her family in 1856 from Orkney, Scotland, to Hamilton, Ontario. She has contributed to CBC Radio programs Fresh Air and Morningside, to the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and National Post. She and her husband Don Cooper live in Penetanguishene on Georgian Bay in Ontario. Visit www.findingjohnrae.com.

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