Over a three-year period from 1837 to 1939, operating from a base-camp at Fort Confidence on Great Bear Lake, the expedition achieved its goal. Despite serious problems with sea ice, Dease and Simpson, in some of the longest small-boat voyages in the history of the Arctic, mapped the remaining gaps in a model operation of efficient, economical, and safe exploration. Thomas Simpson's narrative, the standard source on the expedition, claimed the expedition's success for himself, stating "Dease is a worthy, indolent, illiterate soul, and moves just as I give the impulse." In From Barrow to Boothia William Barr shows that Dease's contribution was absolutely crucial to the expedition's success and makes Dease's sober, sensible, and modest account of the expedition available.

Dease's journal, reproduced in full, is supplemented by a brief introduction to each section and detailed annotations that clarify and elaborate the text. By including relevant correspondence to and from expedition members, Barr captures the original words of the participants, offering insights into the character of both Dease and Simpson and making clear what really happened on this successful expedition.

William Barr specializes in geomorphology and has, for the past thirty years, focused his research on the history of Arctic exploration. He has published fourteen books, including translations from German, French, and Russian, and more than a hundred articles. He is author of From Barrow to Boothia: The Arctic Journal of Chief Factor Peter Warren Dease 1836-1839.

William Barr's profile page

"A very significant contribution to the field of Arctic exploration and the role of the Hudson's Bay Company in the endeavour. Barr's scholarship and methodology are excellent. He is undoubtedly the leading authority today on Arctic exploration in Canada." William C. Wonders, university professor and professor emeritus of geography, University of Alberta
"William Barr is one of the best editors of historical manuscripts in the country. It was a delight to read his latest work. This is a fine piece of work B solid, dependable, and thorough. Scholars will find it to be of great use and continuing value; fans of northern exploration will find the book to be up to the usual high standards of Barr's contributions. It is a delightful, accessible introduction to an important and unique episode in the European mapping of the Arctic." Ken Coates, author of The Marshall Decision and Native Rights
"This book describes the set of expeditions between 1836 and 1839 whereby the task of charting the northern coast of mainland North America by European explorers was completed ... Underlying the narrative of exploration is a character clash worthy of a Dickens novel. For those who have already succumbed to "polar passion" this volume will be of great interest since Professor Barr has assembled, with great care and often from unpublished sources, original materials about the expedition which are woven into a highly readable narrative. For one coming to the subject for the first time it is an excellent introduction to the great achievement of The Hudson's Bay Company in creating and infrastructure in what must be one of the most difficult areas on earth." Honourable Donald S. Macdonald