Bodies from the
Ice tells the story of Earth's
melting alpine glaciers and the recent archaeological discoveries made there.
In 1991 a husband and wife
climbing a mountain in northern Italy stumbled across what appeared to
be trash left by careless hikers. On closer inspection they realized
that it was a human corpse lying near the surface of a melting alpine
glacier. Ultimately, scientific study revealed that the man had lived
5,300 years earlier. Now known as Ötzi, he is one of the most important
archaeological discoveries ever made.
All around the world, from
South America’s Andes Mountains to the European Alps to Asia’s
Himalayas, glaciers are rapidly melting. Their disappearing ice uncovers
not only the rocky terrain that has lain beneath for thousands of years,
but also the long-hidden bodies of people who died in the glaciers. They
may have been hunters, soldiers, shepherds, mountain climbers,
dairymaids, or unfortunate travelers, and sometimes children. As their
bodies are revealed, scientists study them to learn more information
about the earth’s past. But what will happen if our grinding, gliding
glaciers disappear altogether?
With sweeping mountain
vistas, vintage images of early climbers, and a quiet respect for the
lives that are being uncovered and studied by scientists all over the
world, acclaimed author James M. Deem takes the reader on an icy and
epic adventure. He uncovers the magic lore of glaciers themselves,
sharing stories of pioneering female climbers and early Mount Everest
enthusiasts, and even stories of the glaciers themselves, at one point
considered to be a creation of the devil devised to punish sinners, full
of dragons and witches . . .
Illustrated in color and black-and-white with
over 65 photographs, many of them rare. For ages 8 to adult. To be published by Houghton
Mifflin in Fall 2008.
