Eskimo, Reindeer and Land, by R.O. Stern, E.L. Arobio, L.L. Naylor and W.C. Thomas

ice models with respect to global climate, techniques for predicting ice motion, and regional studies from the Strait of Belle Isle, Antarctica and Chukchi Sea, to name a few. This book claims to be, and undoubtedly is, not only the culmination of the AIDJEX program, but a documentation of the state of the art in polar ice research. As such it is an essential book for all workers in ice dynamics and polar oceanography. Unfortunately for students and scientists in peripheral disciplines, it is a book compiled by experts for experts. No space is “wasted” providing a historical overview of sea ice research or a final assessment of the achievements of the program with respect to the questions posed at the beginning. Too often abstracts fail to provide a synopsis of the paper, but rather explain what the author intends to discuss or examine. Too often conclusions are little more than a description of what the paper has already discussed. Neither are useful to inform an expert, let alone a scientist in a peripheral field, that (i) the paper contains information of importance to him or (ii) that the paper is sufficiently interesting to warrant complete reading. It is a pity that, in taking the trouble to produce a book, greater effort was not made to both educate and interest a wider audience in the merits and importance of studying sea ice dynamics. Otherwise, one wonders if the book might have better remained as individual papers in appropriate technical journals.