In the summer of 1913, the wooden-hulled Karluk departed Canada for the western Arctic. On board were 10 scientists, 13 crewmembers, four Inuit hunters, one seamstress, her two children, and one passenger. Of these, 11 never returned and most were not heard from again until September 1914. During their 13-month exile, expedition members survived for seven months amid the drifting and inhospitable Arctic ice floes before establishing camp on an uninhabited island hundreds of miles north of Siberia.
Excerpt from The Karluk Disaster at Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador
Introduction
107 years ago on this day, the Karluk began to sink after being frozen in Arctic ice for over five months. Thus today is a fitting day to post another list that has been stewing in my drafts for some time!
A fictionalized chapter book by Canadian author Eric Walters introduced me to the Karluk disaster when I was in grade two. I don’t know what brought me back around to the subject. Possibly I was browsing the stacks at the library and came across Bartlett’s own account of the voyage, which I read at the end of 2015. In my review of that book, I noted “I have a budding interest in seafaring exploration”. In the years since, I’ve narrowed that interest to Arctic exploration, picking up books that catch my eye in used bookshops – but especially books on the Karluk.
The is a list of books about the Karluk that I own, of which I have read all but one. It is possible this is a list of all the books about the Karluk that exist, haha. The list follows my reading journey, with one TBR title at the end. However, for those with no prior knowledge of the Karluk, I recommend starting with The Luck of the Karluk for an easy overview or Jennifer Niven’s book for a more in-depth account (yes, the same Niven who wrote All the Bright Places). Titles link to Goodreads.
Books About the Karluk Disaster
Trapped in Ice by Eric Walters
The book kicked off my interest nearly 20 years ago! It perplexed me at the time that a lot of classmates thought the book boring, haha. I later learnt the story recounts the real events faithfully enough, for a chapter book adaptation. Except! ⚠️ The only children on the actual voyage were Helen and Mugpi, two young Inuit girls. (Mugpi was about three years old and I don’t think Helen was much older.) I do not recommend this book because of their erasure/ whitewashing.
The Karluk’s Last Voyage: An Epic of Death and Survival in the Arctic by Robert A. Bartlett
Captain Bartlett’s own account. This was my first time reading a first-hand perspective of Arctic exploration. Although it’s written somewhat formally and diplomatically, it still makes for a fascinating read. I was reminded of Chris Hadfield’s An Astronaut’s Guide to Life On Earth, which also puts into perspective the astonishing amount of knowledge one needs to survive in such extreme conditions. Check out my full review.
The Ice Master by Jennifer Niven
The most comprehensive book on the Karluk disaster that’s available. It certainly filled in the gaps I was wondering about after reading Bartlett’s account. Niven draws a lot from the crew’s diaries. The darker events of the voyage, which may be plastered over in other accounts, are described here. Although I did wonder if Niven exaggerated certain characters a bit too much, this is still the book to read if you want a full sense of what happened. Check out my full review.
The Luck of the Karluk: Shipwrecked in the Arctic by L.D. Cross
This book is part of a series of “shorter narratives designed for younger readers, new Canadians and casual readers” (according to the publisher). Thus, it’s a perfect read if you aren’t familiar with the story and don’t need/want a 200+ page account. It covers all the key points in a more factual manner than Niven does. Check out my full review (which is nestled in a 2017 post that I had forgotten about – “5 Arctic Adventures From Icemen + The Luck Of The Karluk“).
Bartlett: The Great Explorer by Harold Horwood
This was one of my lucky finds in an used bookshop. I hadn’t known there was a whole biography about Bartlett! I wonder how well-known he really is? Possibly famous enough in his home province of Newfoundland and Labrador… So, this includes some description of his Karluk voyage but in the context of this list, I can only really recommend it to readers already familiar with that voyage and are interested in learning more about the captain himself.
Karluk: The Great Untold Story of Arctic Exploration by William L. McKinlay
This last book is on my TBR – another lucky find at an used bookshop. This is another first hand account by scientist William McKinlay, who plays a large role in the other books about the Karluk – likely because they had his diaries and this account to draw on!
I know this is a pretty niche topic that may not interest my regular readers, lol. But I want to make a point this year of writing about things I know and enjoy, instead of chasing trendy topics and popular books. You will see a few more non-fiction posts in the weeks ahead.
Anyway. While preparing this post, I learnt that there is actually a documentary on the Karluk. Time to see if I can get a hold of it…
What historical events do you find fascinating to read about?
Never heard of it. Is that a must-know for Canadians?
Ahh good question. Probably should have mentioned that in the post – no, it’s not. I have never met anyone else who has heard about this, haha, which is partly why I wanted to write this list. I think relatively speaking it is one small blip in the history of Arctic exploration.
This is a fabulous list, Jenna! I have not heard of this tragedy but your post made me read up more about this tragedy. How heroic some of the people were! Great post.
Thank-you Athira! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post 🙂 It really is a fascinating story that’s not widely known.
This is so fascinating Jenna! There are so many singular historic events that have fascinated me, but finding/making book lists for them is so interesting. And I really liked what you said about writing posts for yourself, my reading interests have become so different since the time I started my blog, and it’s often a struggle to keep up with the same voice that you used to have before.
Ahh, thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed this post and understand what I was getting at re: writing for yourself. I felt especially in the past few months that I was reading the same content over and over on book blogs and so I started to gravitate towards that…but I’m trying to get back to the roots of why I started blogging – to write about the books I like! Even if they’ve changed over the years or don’t fit with popular interest…
I’m very excited for this post and others you might have planned that feature nonfiction! I love how specific this topic is. I’d like to do more reading like this, where I learn a lot about a single topic. I think I might remember more and get more out of books if I stopped them like this.
Thank you so much! I’m glad this post has found an appreciative audience 🙂 These books I read over the span of a number of years. I do think it is an interesting and enjoyable way to learn about a subject you’re really keen on – by reading multiple books on the topic over time. (I think even I might have got a bit bored of the Karluk if I read these all in, say, the same year, haha.)
Thank you so much! I’m glad this post has found an appreciative audience 🙂 These books I read over the span of a number of years. I do think it is an interesting and enjoyable way to learn about a subject you’re really keen on – by reading multiple books on the topic over time. (I think even I might have got a bit bored of the Karluk if I read these all in, say, the same year, haha.)