Globe Corner Blogs

Last week Steven Kazlowski, author of The Last Polar Bear, visited our store and gave a slide presentation about his latest photographic journey into the Alaskan arctic. Some images left the audience cooing (myself most definitely included) at adorable polar bear cubs playfully tugging at the ear of their mother. But, Kazlowski also showed startling maps demonstrating the growing presence of human industry in the region and the diminishing range of sea ice, which is essential to how polar bears and other animals hunt and survive the extreme environment. Kazlowski’s intimate photographs of the harsh yet stunning arctic habitat elicit an emotional response that will easily prompt viewers to think and to read about the more serious subject behind his images: the warming of the arctic that threatens the delicate ecological balance that allows the polar bears (not to mention the Inupiat people, beluga whales, walruses, and arctic foxes) to thrive.

While I find the photographs alone to be reason for enjoying this book, The Last Polar Bear is also full of insightful essays that explain the science of global warming and the effects of drilling for oil in Alaska’s North Slope, among many other topics. And don’t forget to check out the “Resources” section in the back to learn more about organizations that support environmental conservation.

Further Reading Suggestions:

A Complete Guide to Arctic Wildlife by Richard Sale

Disappearing Destinations edited by Heather Hansen and Kimberly Lisagor (12.76, Staff Pick)

The Ends of the Earth: An Anthology of the Finest Writing on the Arctic and the Antarctica edited by Elizabeth Kolbert and Francis Spufford (29.95)

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert (13.95)

The Suicidal Planet by Mayer Illman (23.95)

Vanishing World: The Endangered Arctic by Mireilla de la Lez (32.00, Staff Pick)

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman (12.00, Staff Pick)

Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century by Bruce Sterling and Alex Steffen (15.96, Staff Pick)

Find more on Science and Natural History, Wildlife, or Polar Regions.

Read more: Alaska, Autographed Books, Bestsellers, Book Reviews, Environmental Conservation, Kazlowski, News, Polar Regions, The Last Polar Bear


Jess is a GCB alum and now contributes to the travel blog as often as she can. Jess attended Middlebury College so she loves the Green Mountain State. She also studied abroad in Paris for a semester and has traveled through much of western Europe and the UK. Her most recent travels include trips to Portland, OR, Los Angeles, CA and Spain (Madrid and Andalusia). She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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