stefansson-wrangel-09-31-009r

PREFACE

xv

was personal. Mr. Knight knew what both his son and
Fred Maurer thought of the arctic expedition of 1913-
1918 of which they had been members, and what they
thought of me who had been their commander then and
was planning with them now a new expedition. Here
was a man whose point of view the reader would value
more than that of any other. And yet I had been plan-
ning until the last moment to get some famous authority
on geography or world politics to read my manuscript
and write an introduction for this book!

When it occurred to me to ask Mr. Knight to write the
introduction, I was just taking ship for Australia. There
was barely time for a letter to him and no time to receive
his answer. I asked him merely to let me know his de-
cision in Australia, saying I would not have wanted to
review the introduction before publication even had I
been in America, but that I was now in any case unable
to do so, for the book must go to the printer in less time
than it takes to send a manuscript to Australia and get
an annotated copy back. I shall not know, therefore,
until after publication what comment Mr. Knight may
choose to make on this book and on the expedition. But
I have asked him to do what he can do so much better
than I—to speak of his knowledge of his son’s relations
with his comrades both before the expedition and on it,
and especially to quote what Lorne wrote about them in
his letters home from Wrangel Island.

At the close I must speak once more of my gratitude to
friends who have helped with money. I am trying to
get for the appendix of this book from Mr. Griffith
Brewer a full list of those who contributed to the sending
of the Donaldson to Wrangel Island in 1923. By looking
in the appendix the reader may see if it has been possible