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The Last Gentleman Adventurer: Coming of Age in the Arctic | 
 enlarge | Author: Edward Beauclerk Maurice
Publisher: Mariner Books
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $10.17
You Save: $4.78 (32%)
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Rating:  20 reviews
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 392
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 0618773584
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.92
EAN: 9780618773589
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Product Description
At sixteen, Edward Beauclerk Maurice impulsively signed up with the Hudson's Bay Company -- the company of Gentleman Adventurers -- and ended up at an isolated trading post in the Canadian Arctic, where there was no communication with the outside world and only one ship arrived each year. But he was not alone. The Inuit people who traded there taught him how to track polar bears, build igloos, and survive ferocious winter storms. He learned their language and became completely immersed in their culture, earning the name Issumatak, meaning "he who thinks."
In The Last Gentleman Adventurer, Edward Beauclerk Maurice relates his story of coming of age in the Arctic and transports the reader to a time and a way of life now lost forever.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
I felt like I was in the arctic with the main character! September 15, 2008
I had never really read anything like this book before, but for some reason the story's unique setting, the Arctic, drew me in. The main character is so endearing, hard-working, honest, and lovable that you cheer for him throughout all his challenges and problems. He is a good example of how we could all learn from other cultures with respect and compassion. I was sad when I had finished because I wanted to know more about the rest of his life. Well worth your time and effort!!!!!
Fantastic, observant novel about Arctic life and Hudson's Bay Company. August 11, 2008
Of the many, many books I've read involving Arctic expeditions and experiences, this one is one of the best, among the ranks of Gontran De Poncins' 'Kabloona' and Vladimir Albanov's 'In The Land of the White Death.' I found it to have a lot in common with 'Kabloona': while the locations are rather far, the experiences are similar. 'The Last Gentleman Adventurer' also provides a lot of information about the Hudson's Bay Company, which is a fascinating chapter in northern Canadian history.
At the time of the documented experiences, this young man was essentially alone (in the beginning among 2 others) in one of the most remote outposts on earth. His interest and respect for Inuit life develops and broadens throughout the book, and in his adventures he meets many different characters. What is delightful about this character is that he sees the Inuit with respect to his own morals, ethics and upbringing, but without judging them. He spends a number of years in Pangnirtung and moves down to Frobisher Bay. Curiously, his last year (alluded to in the novel to be spent at Southampton Island) was not documented in the book, and I am unsure of why.
I found his relationships with the Inuit people in this book to be very inspiring; his encounters with the often harsh world around him allowed him to grow and adapt. While frustration was often present with one situation or another, he left his post at Ward Inlet with an incredible love and respect for his Inuit friends; while warned in the beginning not to become too wrapped up with "those people," it is the curiosity and willingness to learn that makes this novel, 'Kabloona' and also the adventures of Stefansson incredibly interesting. While whaling and exploration often exploited the talents of the Arctic people, there are few memoirs of people who sought to learn and survive with their knowledge.
The Last Gentleman Adventurer March 16, 2008
This was an amazing story of the early years of the Hudson Bay Company and a year of young mans life at a trading post in the Arctic. I couldn't stop reading. I only wish the author had not stopped his story writing.
A must for those interested in "Up North" February 19, 2008
Fascinating story. Written in very genuine, matter of fact style. Author was completely open to learning all he could about Inuit culture, and this comes through in the book. A must read if you want to understand the culture and ecology of the arctic. Read this, then go watch "The Naked Runner."
 A well-written memoir, cheerfully told January 13, 2008
In this beautifully written book, Edward Beauclerk Maurice takes the reader to a distant, cold land to experience heartwarming stories of adventure, love and loss.
Maurice spent five years living with Eskimos (Inuit) on Baffin Island in northern Canada as a representative of the Hudson's Bay Company. He came of age there, starting as naive 16-year-old and growing to become an experienced leader by 21.
Maurice tells his stories in an understated and humble manner. When he falls in the water, he makes a joke. When he nearly plummets to his death off a cliff, he blames his own clumsiness. When Eskimo women express interest in him, you can almost feel him blushing. You really can't help but like him.
There's danger and adventure here, too. Maurice confronts wolves and polar bears. Storms tear the roof off buildings and threaten to swamp boats. Eskimos die tragic deaths.
Particularly well-written is a story near the middle of the book where Maurice and an Eskimo come to the rescue of a village where people are dying from a contagious disease. It's a grim scene, and I could feel myself there through Maurice's writing.
As a I read "The Last Gentleman Adventurer," I was somewhat wistful that neither I, nor anyone else, will ever get a chance to experience this sort of life again. It was an isolated existence, and Maurice and the Eskimos had to completely depend on each other and to live off the land. There was almost no communication with the outside world; a supply boat came just once a year.
The book is divided into two parts -- the first includes highlights of Maurice's first few years on Baffin Island. The second is a more detailed description of his life at a base where he was the only non-Eskimo for one year.
If you're wondering why I give this four stars, not five, it's only because in the second half of the book there are some flat parts where Maurice could have perhaps summarized and moved on. I also wish the book had a map.
Despite those small complaints, I'd love to see someone turn this into a movie. It's not a big blockbuster story that would interest major studios, but I could see the BBC or PBS adapting this for TV.
Readers who enjoy this book would also enjoy "Alaska Wilderness" by Robert Marshall.
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