Author Description

In Poles Apart, Galen Rowell takes us on an exhilarating visual journey to the top and the bottom of the world, using the parallel visions of his camera to reveal the fascinating differences between these polar opposites. The Arctic, home of the polar bear, takes its name from the Greek arktos, meaning bear. The Antarctic - anti-arktos - is a realm devoid of bears, a place where penguins live on the ice unthreatened by land predators. Other differences abound: the North Pole sits in the middle of an ocean surrounded by land, while the South Pole is at 9,300 feet above sea level in the middle of a continent surrounded by oceans. The Arctic has hundreds of species of flowers and thousands of insects; the Antarctic has only two species of flowering plants and almost no flying insects. Boreal forest extends north of the Arctic Circle; Antarctica has no trees and its Dry Valleys are the most lifeless regions on earth. Humans have inhabited the Arctic for thousands of years; in the Antarctic every human is a visitor. In Part One, Rowell's side-by-side photographs highlight the contrasts between North and South. The photo essays of Part Two continue the comparisons but in a different rhythm and with alternating themes, such as Arctic and Antarctic science, polar bears and penguins, and visits to the North and South Poles. Part Three provides detailed information on the story behind each photograph as well a technical data of interest to photographers.