Overview

The Franklin expedition was not alone in suffering early and unexplained deaths. Indeed, both Back (1837) and Ross (1849) suffered early onset of unaccountable ""debility"" aboard ship and Ross suffered greater fatalities during his single winter in the Arctic than did Franklin during his first. Both expeditions were forced to retreat because of the rapacious illness that stalked their ships. Frozen in Time makes the case that this illness (starting with the Back expedition) was due to the crews' overwhelming reliance on a new technology, namely tinned foods. This not only exposed the seamen to lead, an insidious poison - as has been demonstrated in Franklin's case by Dr. Beattie's research - but it also left them vulnerable to scurvy, the ancient scourge of seafarers which had been thought to have been largely cured in the early years of the nineteenth century. Fully revised, Frozen in Time will update the research outlined in the original edition, and will introduce independent confirmation of Dr. Beattie's lead hypothesis, along with corroboration of his discovery of physical evidence for both scurvy and cannibalism. In addition, the book includes a new introduction written by Margaret Atwood, who has long been fascinated by the role of the Franklin Expedition in Canada's literary conscience, and has made a pilgrimage to the site of the Franklin Expedition graves on Beechey Island.

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9780747577270

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Reviews

'A remarkable piece of forensic deduction' Margaret Atwood 'Simply compelling' Mordecai Richler 'A cautionary tale of scholarly merit' William S. Borroughs 'Galvanizing ... in one stroke it elicited a new flurry of Franklin mania in documentary film, childrens' books, adult non-fiction, fiction, painting, and newspaper accounts around the world' Sherrill E. Grace, author of Canada and the Idea of the North

Sir John Franklin's failed arctic expedition has become the archetypal survival horror story: in 1847 two of the most technologically-advanced and well-equipped ships of their day sailed into the polar wilderness in search of the North Passage. They were never seen again, leaving a trail of scattered graves and suggestions by the native Induits that the crew had resorted to cannibalism. It was only in 1981 that a group of scientists were able to identify why the mission went so wrong, through the discovery of three startlingly well-preserved bodies. This modern classic of forensic anthropology (a historical 'howdunnit') is so pleasurable thanks to its recounting of the scientists' own expedition. They outline the tools and techniques by which they came to their hypothesis in language plain enough for the most casual novice, alongside gory photographs, maps and Victorian artwork. A new foreword by Margaret Atwood attests the cultural influence of the book since its original publication in 1987. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Owen Beattie is a professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta. He was born in Victoria, BC, and received his PhD from Simon Fraser University. He has contributed to many forensic investigations in Canada, as well as to human rights and humanitarian projects in Rwanda, Somalia, and Cyprus. He lives in Edmonton with his two daughters and his granddaughter. John Grigsby Geiger is St. Clair Balfour Fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto. He was born in Ithaca, New York, and graduated in history from the University of Alberta. His books have been translated into eight languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

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