Norway's arctic North (1). Svalbard: From polar night to midnight sun

This narrative illustrated book is a journey through the seasons and landscapes of Svalbard. Based on his lecture ‘Norway's Arctic North’, Rolf Stange takes you on a journey of over 200 pages, from the polar night with its shimmering northern lights to summer with its eternal light and finally to the return of winter, which can conjure up magnificent colours in the impressive landscape.

In a relaxed and personal narrative style, but as informative and well-founded as ever, Rolf Stange guides the reader around the islands, from daily and cultural life in and around Longyearbyen to the most remote corners of the Svalbard archipelago, which we explore by sail in summer. We visit the fjords from the relatively mild west coast to the high Arctic, icy northeast, encountering fascinating Arctic wildlife along the way, from whales and birds to polar bears and walruses.

This photo book is generously sized in A4 format (landscape) and has a hardcover. Over 400 full-colour photos, many of them full-page, characterise the book; numerous maps provide orientation.

The author has travelled extensively throughout the entire Svalbard archipelago for almost 30 years, in every conceivable way. Here, he shares his most memorable experiences with you. Despite the sometimes personal narrative perspective, the text is always informative, making the book a good introduction to the nature, landscapes, seasons and travel options of this Arctic archipelago – an ideal gift for anyone planning a trip there, who has been there, who dreams of going there, or who is simply interested in Svalbard and the Arctic in general.