I wish to acknowledge numerous debts, with sincere gratitude. Simon N. Stephenson at the Office of Polar Programs in the US grasped the point of The Magnetic North from the outset and granted access to American Arctic research camps. Chris Rapley, then of the British Antarctic Survey, which also covers the Arctic, did the same in the UK. In the field, Nick Cox went beyond the call of duty to get me to Ny-Ålesund, facilitate travel while I was there, and unlock a rich store of anecdotes. Glenn Sheehan fought through the interminable bureaucracy of Chukotka, as did Gena Zelinsky; the latter also did a great deal while I was in the Russian Far East. On the Greenland ice cap Cathy Young welcomed me to her camp at Summit; Bella Bergeron, whom I met over a cold borehole in Greenland, later made me feel right at home in the bars of Fairbanks. Mike Abels arranged logistics up the Haul Road in Alaska, and at Toolik, across the Arctic Divide. Lennart Pittja did all he could to show me and Reg Sámi life and land in Sweden: we loved living among his reindeer. Joyia Chakungal invited me to her jointly-run geology project on Southampton Island in the Canadian Arctic, gave me a home in Iqaluit and did much more besides: I learned a lot from her.
For science advice and tuition I must thank in particular Jack Dibb, who instructed me with patience on halogens; Matthew Hart and Kim Marshall-Brown, who guided me through overturning circulation; Maarten Loonen for the truth about barnacle geese; Geir Wing Gabrielsen for explaining ocean-going polar contaminants; and Nia Mererid Whiteley for illuminating the tenebrous world of the amphipod. All mistakes are my own. Grateful acknowledgement to Shirley Sawtell at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge for research assistance, and to the staff of the London Library and the British Library.
Several editors assisted the growth of The Magnetic North by commissioning pieces, among them Cath Urquhart and Jane Knight at The Times, Victoria Mather at Vanity Fair, Jessamy Calkin at the Daily Telegraph and Sarah Spankie and Sarah Miller at Condé Nast Traveller. Thanks also to Hurtigruten, to Quark, and to Gloria Ward at the Ultimate Travel Company.
The many others who helped include Allan Ashworth, Nicholas Blincoe, Nell Butler, Tom Carrell, Bruce Clark, Richard Cohen, Faye Ethridge, Bob Headland, Tobias Holzlehner, Ceri Hutton, Clive James, Don James, Michael Kendall, Phil Kolvin QC, Nick Laing, Jeremy Lewis, Adam Munthe, David Newman, Chris Phipps, Nadia Solovieva, Charles Swithinbank, Taneil Uttal, Jess Vaughan and Nigel Winser. Lucinda Riches toiled through many gruelling drafts, as usual; this time she also submitted to the hospitality of vodka-proffering strangers on Russian sleeper trains. Ellah Allfrey at Jonathan Cape piloted us through the last months with wisdom and courtesy, ably assisted by Tom Avery and Katherine Murphy. I also want to acknowledge Neil Bradford in the production department.
As always, and more warmly than ever, millions and millions of thanks to my publisher Dan Franklin and my agent Gillon Aitken.
Finally I must thank my editor of first resort, Peter Graham, who did more than everyone else put together and is a brilliantly insightful reader. Now put your socks away.