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The Ice: A journey to Antarctica by Stephen Pyne, Orion, £16.99, ISBN 1842126741 Reviewed by Alison George

IF rip-roaring tales of Antarctic derring-do are your cup of tea, then read no further. Stephen Pyne’s The Ice has a different take on Antartica. His book examines the frozen continent from every conceivable angle – history, politics, exploration, science, and most importantly, the ice.

You might think that ice is ice. But Pyne will have none of that. He lists the various types: “pack ice, ice floes, ice rinds, ice hummocks, ice ridges, ice flowers, ice stalactites, pancake ice, frazil ice, grease ice,…

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