The comprehensive guide published by Brill on the history of the Northern Sea Route is a pivotal contribution to both Russian and global historical narratives. This extensive work sheds light on one of the most enigmatic waterways in the world, encapsulating its history from early Arctic navigation efforts to post-Soviet ambitions. The guide meticulously details various periods, highlighting key expeditions, trade, and military activities along the route, and its interactions with western Europe and as a transit passage.
Authored by an international team of two Norwegians, one Dutch, one Brit, and five Russians, the book stands as a monument to past international collaborations in Arctic research, particularly in historical studies, which are not possible anymore. Its uniqueness stems from the amalgamation of chapters penned decades ago, such as those by Terence Edward Armstrong, a renowned British expert on Soviet Arctic history who passed away in 1996, with more recent writings. Originating from the International Northern Sea Route Programme (INSPOR) conducted from 1993 to 1999, the book offers a comprehensive understanding of the route stretching from Novayia Zemlia to the Bering Strait. Initially a Norwegian-Russian-Japanese venture, INSPOR expanded to include over four hundred scholars from fourteen countries. Although small, the historical team was comprised of prominent Arctic historians. They produced several reports that aimed to make history of the Northern Sea Route “an integral chapter of world maritime history” (7). However, after 1999 the project was put on hold, two leading authors died, and it took almost twenty years before the project was revived and resulted in this volume.
The introduction to the book is enriched with the section on natural and climate conditions, with a brief discussion of the climate changes in the Arctic in the past, albeit lacking in-depth review of contemporary debates on the role of climate in the history of the Arctic. In general, climate history is not integrated into the overall historical narrative of Northern Sea Route exploration. Climate appears more profoundly in Part 7, written by a patriarch of Norwegian political science, Willy Østreng. This part is very distinct from the first six historical parts because it aims to bridge the past with the present for shaping the future. At first, the author gives voice to the visionaries from the past, but then jumps into the influence of anthropogenic global warming on shipping going into predictions of future ice reduction. In addition, three more drivers of changes are discussed: shipbuilding innovations, market demand for Russian natural resources, and the growth of piracy along the southern maritime routes. However, the whole possibility of using the North Sea Route is so intrinsically connected with global warming that the ethical question is: should we rejoice or despair in the future of this waterway? In the current political situation, when Russia cancelled most of its international cooperation in the Arctic, has brought additional fundamental unpredictability and desperation.
This book, despite certain limitations, stands as a significant contribution to the global history of the Arctic, and the history of the northern Russian / Soviet space in particular. Targeted primarily at specialists and students of Arctic and Russian studies, it also appeals to a broader audience. Readers would highly benefit from the nicely written summary for the first six parts (403–15) that not only summarizes but also provides cohesive analysis of the diverse historical materials of the chapters themselves. Especially appealing are the very rich and unique set of illustrations and maps, that were thoroughly collected in the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences and several Russian museums. Those who read Russian would benefit from reading this volume together with the collective work under the title Severnye morskie puti Rossii (Northern Seaways of Russia) published in Russia in 2023 by independent publisher Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie (edited by Ksenia Gavrilova and Valeriia Vasilieva), which offers a blend of historical and contemporary perspectives, but in contrast to the volume under review, relies much more on fieldwork in the Russian Arctic.
