The North Pole The History of an Obsession

“Erling Kagge's decades-long obsession with the North Pole has produced an extraordinary book that defies genre: an elegant travel account, a learned history and a psychological thriller wrapped in one”
– Anne Applebaum

“Erling Kagge is a deeply thoughtful writer who has a strong and very individual style. The North Pole proves to be the perfect subject for him”
– Michael Palin

“A beautiful book which is as much about our inner world as our outer one, a book that helps us find the vast calm empty spaces within us and returns us to a feeling of being at home in the world”
– Alain de Botton

“A wonderful book about the sublime, eerie place known as the North Pole. A place that has doubled as a fertile dreamscape as much as a hard, inhospitable landscape for human beings over the centuries. This is the book of a lifetime, from a rare writer-adventurer whose obsession and passion for his subject know no bounds”
– Elif Shafak

“Erling Kagge charts a wondrous way to the North Pole, exploring the marvel and complexity of a place that exists both in reality and in our symbolic imagination. A fascinating and richly detailed book”
– Paul Lynch, Booker Prize-winning author of Prophet Song

"It's impossible to read Erling Kagge and not fall in love with the North Pole. His enthusiasm is infectious and his adventures are epic”
– Elizabeth Kolbert

“The North Pole is an enchanting pursuit of a place that lies both far away at the top of our planet and deep within us all”
– Peter Moore

“It's rare to find an author and a subject so perfectly matched […] This book is full of extraordinary stories and wisdom earned through hard experience. "Think ahead, travel light, and leave your fears behind you," one explorer advises. Much like the place itself, The North Pole is memorable, inspiring, unsettling, and poetic”
– Eric Schlosser

“A dazzling book - soulful, awe-inspiring, and deeply thought-provoking. Erling Kagge takes readers on a journey they'll never forget”
– Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of King: A Life

“A philosophical adventurer or perhaps an adventurous philosopher”
– New York Times 

“As an explorer Erling Kagge is world class; as a writer he is equally gifted”
– Sir Ranulph Fiennes

“Exhilaratingly epic”
– dg nanouk okpik

“An electrifying memoir of a daring journey through Earth's most unforgiving landscapes. Intrepid explorer and philosopher Erling Kagge masterfully intertwines the adrenaline of his 58-day ski trek to the apex of the world with captivating lore, forgotten histories of past expeditions to the frozen unknown, and profound reflections on survival and our planet's fragility. A bouillabaisse of pure delight.”
– Laurie Gwen Shapiro, author of The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica