A journey through the far north from the Shetland Islands to Greenland and beyond: “A wonder-voyage . . . often beautiful” (Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland).

The stark, vast beauty of the remote landscape of Arctic Europe has been the focus of human exploration for thousands of years. In this striking blend of travel writing, history, and mythology, Gavin Francis offers a unique portrait of the northern fringes of Europe. His journey begins in the Shetland Islands, takes him to the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard, and Lapland.
 
Following in the footsteps of the area's early pioneers, the author observes how the region has adapted to the twenty-first century, offering insight into the lives of people he encounters along the way. As with all the best travel writingTrue North is an engaging, compassionate tale of self-discovery, blending historical and contemporary narratives.
 
“His nuanced, often witty, observations of the people and places he encounters meanTrue North really gets under the skin of Europe’s magical north.” —Sunday Herald
 
“An evocative writer.” —Booklist onEmpire Antarctica

The stark, vast beauty of the remote Arctic Europe landscape has been the focus of human exploration for thousands of years. In this striking blend of travel writing, history and mythology, Gavin Francis offers a unique portrait of the northern fringes of Europe. His journey begins in the Shetland Isles, takes him to the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and on to Lapland. Following in the footsteps of the region's early pioneers, Francis observes how the region has adapted to the 21st century, giving an observed insight into the lives of people he encounters along the way.True North is an engaging, compassionate tale of self-discovery, whilst blending historical and contemporary narratives in the tradition of Bruce Chatwin and Robert Macfarlane.'A deep empathy with the land and its history runs like a golden thread through every chapter of True North' - Sara Wheeler, The Spectator