The Stefansson Collection on Polar Exploration

 

Founded as the private research collection of the Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson (1879-1962), the Stefansson Collection on Polar Exploration is an exceptionally rich body of material for research on the history of both the Antarctic and the Arctic. For the Antarctic regions, the bulk of the collection is concerned with events prior to World War II. For the Arctic regions, the bulk of the collection is concerned with events prior to 1930. As Stefansson himself worked exclusively in the Arctic, this part of the collection is more robust.

 

Printed materials

Printed materials in the Stefansson collection include published expedition records and diaries, bibliographies, and general histories of the regions. Researchers should note that a few twentieth-century expedition records are in the general stacks along with more current, scientific publications on the polar regions. There are often copies of the more recent secondary studies in the general stacks.

Printed materials can be found through the Dartmouth Library catalog.

 

Manuscripts

Manuscript materials in the Stefansson collection include logbooks, diaries, journals, correspondence, and the personal papers of many polar explorers. Manuscripts can be identified through the Archives and Manuscripts search page.

Some examples of note are:

• Stefansson Mss-185 Thomas Orde-Lees diary
• Stefansson Mss-186 George Rice diary and photographs
• Stefansson Mss-196 Vilhjalmur Stefansson correspondence

 

Digitized collections

Some components of the Stefansson Collection have been digitized and made available online. These include:

• Arctic photographs
• Encyclopedia Arctica
• Wrangel Island and the Ada Blackjack Diary (Stefansson Mss-8)
• David Brainard Diary (Stefansson Mss-189)

 

Useful research tools for the Antarctic include

Antarctic Bibliography. Washington: Library of Congress, 1951+
• Stef. Z-6005-P7A55

Fogg, G. E. A History of Antarctic Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
• Stef. G-850-F64-1992-cop. 2

Headland, Robert. A Chronological List of Antarctic Expeditions and Related Events. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
• Stef. G-860-H36-1989-cop. 2

Meadows, Janice, H.G.R. King, and William Mills. The Antarctic. World Bibliographical Series, 171. Santa Barbara: Clio, 1994.
• Baker Z-6005-P7-M43-1994

 

Useful research tools for the Arctic include

Arctic Institute of North America. Arctic Bibliography. 16 vols. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1953-1975.
• Stef. Z-6005-P7-A7

Berton, Pierre. The Arctic Grail: the Quest for the North West Passage and the North Pole. New York: Viking, 1988.
• Stef. G-640-B47-1988

Holland, Clive. Arctic Exploration and Development, c. 500 B.C. to 1915: an Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 1994.
• Stef. G-606-H66-1994 and Spec. Coll. Ref. G-606-H66-1994

Hunt, William. Stef: a Biography of Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Canadian Arctic Explorer. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1986.
• Stef. G-635-S7-H851-1986-cop. 2 and Spec. Coll. Ref. G-635-S7-H851-1986-cop. 3

King, H.G.R. The Arctic. World Bibliographical Series, 99. Santa Barbara: Clio, 1989.
• Baker Z-6005-P7-K56

Minion, Robin. 19th Century Expeditions in the Arctic and Canada. BINS Bibliographic Series, 4. Edmonton: Boreal Institute for Northern Studies, 1984.
• Stef. Z-1392-N6-M56-1984

Minion, Robin. 20th Century Canadian Arctic Expeditions. BINS Bibliographic Series, 29. Edmonton: Boreal Institute for Northern Studies, 1986.
• Stef. Z-1392-N6-M561-1986