Frederick A. Cook, Reimagined

Dr. Cook wrote several important books about his expeditions and many articles on a vast array of topics, from Inuit health, to world hunger and climate change. A quiet, reflective man, Cook’s literary works were not just about his life, but about life itself.

“Frederick Cook’s papers and archives held at the Ohio State University Byrd Polar Center tell one part of the story,” noted Smith. “Darrell Hartman’s extensively researched book tells another part. The photographs, exhibited together with excerpts from Cook’s writings, we hope will offer a new perspective. Frederick Cook was a visionary artist, whose mythical accomplishments distinguish him as one of the most unique figures in the history of exploration.”

The symposium will take place from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, at the Sullivan County Museum, 265 Main Street, Hurleyville.

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About Darrell Hartman

Darrell Hartman was born in Brunswick, Maine, has lived in Brooklyn for many years, and recently purchased a home in Livingston Manor in Sullivan County. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Paris Review, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and Granta. He holds a B.A. in literature from Yale University and is a member of The Explorers Club in New York. “Battle of Ink and Ice” is his debut book, and it was recently given a highly prestigious starred review by Kirkus.
 
Douglas Preston, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller “The Lost City of the Monkey God,” provided this review of Hartman’s book: “’The Battle of Ink and Ice’ tells the absolutely gripping story of the greatest disputation in the history of exploration: the battle between Cook and Peary over the discovery of the North Pole. But what takes this story to another level is the role that two big newspapers played in the controversy, taking opposite sides. The book paints unforgettable portraits of the outrageous, incendiary and drunken James Gordon Bennett Jr., publisher of the New York Herald, versus the upstanding and capable Adolph Ochs, founder of the modern New York Times. Beautifully written and researched, this book is a perfectly splendid read. I highly, highly recommend it.”

About Laura Kissel

Laura Kissel is the Polar Curator for the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program (Polar Archives), a position that she has held since 1996. Laura’s primary responsibilities involve assisting students, scholars and other researchers in using the many collections held by the Polar Archives that document the history of polar exploration. Laura holds a bachelor’s Degree from The Ohio State University, and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Kent State University.

Her talk will focus on the Frederick Cook Society Archive collection, which was donated to the Byrd Polar Research Center in 1996 by the Cook Society.

Visit the Ohio State University Digital Cook Archives: https://library.osu.edu/site/frederickcook/

Just announced! Author Julian Sancton will be participating in the Symposium.

About Julian Sancton

Julian Sancton worked as the senior features editor at Departures Magazine, and his work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, The New Yorker, Wired, and Playboy. He has reported from every continent, including Antarctica, which he first visited while researching his book on the Belgian Antarctic Expedition; Madhouse at the End of the Earth.