A Description of Greenland

A long-term resident offers a systematic account of Greenland’s coasts, climate, soils, plants, minerals, and sea and land fauna, and surveys hunting, fishing, and material tools. The work describes dwellings, dress, diet, family life, funerary rites, pastimes, language, and astronomical beliefs of the local inhabitants, and considers their capacities, customs, and religion. It also recounts European voyages, settlement history, trade prospects, and missionary encounters. Organized into topical chapters and illustrated with maps and engravings, the narrative blends natural history, ethnographic observation, and practical information for navigation and commerce.