The epic adventure story of the North Pole – its transcendent beauty and dangerous appeal – from Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge who travelled there in 1990

Foot-stepping alongside Erling Kagge, we hear the story of the North Pole as never told before. From Herodotus, who first wondered what the northernmost point of our planet might be like, to the intrepid early cartographers who mapped our world, and the legendary expeditions led by Fridtjof Nansen and Robert Peary – the first polar explorer global celebrities – who were in the grip of a dangerous obsession to get to the North Pole first.

What emerges is a new history of the world, spanning thousands of years, as seen from the ‘silver-shining vacantness’ of the North Pole. Blending memories from Kagge’s own 1990 trip with this gripping history, The North Pole is an adventure story, a book about difficult fathers and difficult sons, and an inspiring record of what it means to keep putting one foot in front of the other in the face of adversity.

‘As an explorer Erling Kagge is world class; as a writer he is equally gifted’ RANULPH FIENNES

‘The book of a lifetime, from a rare writer-adventurer whose obsession and passion for his subject know no bounds’ ELIF SHAFAK

Throughout recorded human time, few places on Earth have inspired as much fascination as the North Pole. This is an otherworldly place where the sun rises and stays aloft for six whole months before setting, plunging the expanse of ice and water into darkness for half a year.

Foot-stepping alongside Erling Kagge, who ventured to the North Pole in the spring of 1990, we hear the story of the North Pole as never told before. From Herodotus who first wondered what the northernmost point of our planet might be like, to the intrepid early cartographers who mapped the world, and the legendary expeditions led by Fridtjof Nansen and Robert Peary – the first polar explorer global celebrities – who were in the grip of a dangerous obsession to get to the North Pole first. What emerges is a new history of the world, spanning thousands of years, as seen from the ‘silver-shining vacantness’ of the North Pole.

Blending memories from Kagge’s own 1990 trip with this epic history, The North Pole is an adventure story, a book about enacting hidden human dreams, about difficult fathers and their difficult sons, and a psychological record of what it means to keep putting one foot in front of the other in the face of adversity. It is for anyone who’s gazed out at the horizon – and wondered what happens if you just keep walking.

‘A beautiful book’ ALAIN DE BOTTON

‘As an explorer Erling Kagge is world class; as a writer he is equally gifted’ RANULPH FIENNES

Surviving extreme conditions can teach us to lead a fulfilled life. No one knows this better than Erling Kagge, who was the first man in history to reach all of the Earth’s poles by foot – the North, the South, and the summit of Everest. In Philosophy for Polar Explorers he brings together the wisdom and expertise he has gained from the expeditions that have taken him to the limits of the earth, and of human endurance.

In sixteen meditative but practical lessons – from cultivating an optimistic outlook, to getting up at the right time, to learning to take pleasure in the small things and comfort in solitude – Erling Kagge reveals what survival in the most extreme conditions can teach us about how to lead a meaningful life. Wherever we may be headed.
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‘His wisdom will soothe and awaken’ Fearne Cotton

‘A delightful book that explores the strange land between getting out of bed in the morning and reaching for the moon Tristan Gooley

‘A wonderfully deft Swiss army knife of a book’ Dan Richards

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

‘Erling Kagge is a philosophical adventurer – or perhaps an adventurous philosopher’ The New York Times

‘An author for our noisy times, full of a rare and deeply redemptive languor and perspective’ Alain de Botton

‘After having put my shoes on and let my thoughts wander, I am sure of one thing – to put one foot in front of the other is one of the most important things we do.’

From those perilous first steps as a toddler, to great expeditions, from walking to work to trekking to the North Pole, Erling Kagge explains that he who walks goes further and lives better.

Walking is a book about the love of exploration, the delight of discovery and the equilibrium that can be found in this most simple of activities.
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‘If you are a walker this book will resonate with you, if you have seldom or never walked this book should be compulsory reading’ Rosamund Young

‘A thought-proving and enjoyable book that revels in seeing the global in the local. Erling Kagge reveals new ways to view home and homo sapiens, and, as he travels leisurely, we grow slowly wiser’ Tristan Gooley

‘Part rumination, part walking coach and companion . . . and one that might just do more for your health and happiness than your treadmill alone ever could’ New York Journal of Books

‘A thoughtful book-length essay on a taken-for-granted human activity’ Kirkus

‘[Walking is] much more subtle than a typical self-help . . . Erling Kagge uses his acquaintance with extreme environments to reflect on the mental and physical benefits of walking’ Economist

An author for our noisy times, full of a rare and deeply redemptive languor and perspective’ Alain de Botton
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Behind a cacophony of traffic noise, iPhone alerts and our ever-spinning thoughts, an elusive notion – silence – lies in wait. But what really is silence? Where can it be found? And why is it more important now than ever?

Erling Kagge, the Norwegian adventurer and polymath, once spent fifty days walking solo in Antarctica with a broken radio. In this meditative, charming and surprisingly powerful book, he explores the power of silence and the importance of shutting out the world. Whether you’re in deep wilderness, taking a shower or on the dance floor, you can experience perfect stillness if you know where to look. And from it grows self-knowledge, gratitude, wonder and much more.

Take a deep breath, and prepare to submerge yourself in Silence. Your own South Pole is out there, somewhere.

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‘As an explorer Erling Kagge is world class; as a writer he is equally gifted. This breathtaking, inspiring little book teaches us how to find precious moments of silence – whether we are crossing the Antarctic, climbing Everest, or on the train at rush hour’ – Sir Ranulph Fiennes

‘Silence braces a space within which we can hear ourselves think. Quietly, wisely, it makes a case for dumbing the din of modern life, and learning to listen again. Drawing on the experiences of Kagge’s extraordinary life in wild places, this is a book of great concentration’ – Robert Macfarlane

‘Erling Kagge is a philosophical adventurer – or perhaps an adventurous philosopher’ – New York Times