Lords of the Arctic:  A Journey Among the Polar Bears by Richard C. Davids is a 140-page hardcover published in 1982 by Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.  This is an ex-library book, so the dust jacket is encased in a plastic cover.  A library label is affixed to the bottom of the spine.  Inside, the name of the library is stamped in ink on the front end paper.  The catalog card pocket is glued to the back end page.  The pages are clean and unmarked and the binding is sound.

Book Summary

Here is the first in-depth look at the polar bear--the majestic creature that has fascinated man since the days of the Pharaohs.  It is the only book of its kind, because only recently have scientists and researchers penetrated the remote habitat of the "lords of the Arctic" to study and learn how they live.

Richard Davids and Dan Guravich first saw wild polar bears five years ago in Churchill, Manitoba, and have spent much time since then studying and photographing them.  Blending their own experiences with those of explorers, hunters, and Eskimos, and calling upon the research done by leading members of the international scientific community, the author and the photographer take us across the Arctic from Greenland to Alaska by plane, helicopter, ship, tundra buggy, and dogsled.  Along the way they observe and record all phases of the life cycle of the polar bear:  the maternity dens, the mock fighting of adolescence, the real battles that are part of each spring's mating ritual, the hunt for seals and other food, and the so-called walking hibernation of fall and winter. 

Beyond their scientific observations, Davids and Guravich chronicle their adventures in caring for lost and orphaned bears, and observe the changes that man has brought into the bears' environment.  The result is an intriguing story, illustrated by 64 pages of superb color photography, that provides a beautiful and fascinating look at the giants of the frozen wilderness in their appealing, albeit fearsome splendor.