– Brooklin summer resident and author John Dippel will give a presentation and read from his new book, To the Ends of the Earth: The Truth behind the Glory of Polar Exploration, at the Blue Hill Public Library on Thursday, July 12th at 7:00 PM.
The book takes a behind-the-scenes look at the accomplishments of 19th and 20th century polar explorers, showing how their “heroic” image obscured a more dubious and self-serving aspect of their characters. Dippel makes a convincing case that dozens of polar expeditions were motivated less by courageous idealism than by personal ambition and national rivalries.
John Dippel has authored a number of historical books, including Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death: The Impact of America’s First Climate Crisis (about the abnormally cold weather in 1816), Bound Upon A Wheel Of Fire: Why So Many German Jews Made The Tragic Decision To Remain In Nazi Germany, and War and Sex: A Brief History of Men’s Urge for Battle. A graduate of Princeton, he holds advanced degrees from Trinity College Dublin, and Columbia University.
Books will be available for sale and signing. This event is sponsored by the library, there is no charge, and everyone is welcome. For more information, call the library at 374-5515.
