In January 2002, amidst cold snowy winds, I travelled - alone, first by hitch-hiking, then by hiking - to the northernmost point on the European continent: Nordkapp (The North Cape). I had nothing but my tent, a sleeping bag, a cooking stove and a few layers of warmer clothing on me. Diggin' in the snow so that I could pitch up a tent and isolate myself from winter chill using the very medium that winter strikes one with - the snow - allowed me to survive those cold January nights in Scandinavia for a couple of weeks. The experience was physically challenging, with temperatures at times as low as -38 degrees Celsius - but mentally I was longing to embrace such a pursuit since aeons ago.

What predates the Nordkapp trip is my longstanding passion for the polar regions. Since I was a boy I was hooked on Jack London books and other stories of polar adventures and exploration. The mysteries of the polar regions made many men (and some women) leave the warm coziness of everyday life and be gone off to the high latitudes either in search of answers which could not be found elsewhere (and contributing thus to advantages of science in domains of meteorology, cartography, geology, biology, etc.), or perhaps simply on a quest to find a deeper, more personal (spiritual?) meaning to one's existence. Whatever the cause, polar exploration has had quite an impact on many poor souls, and mine is but a slave to it, too.

My collection of antique and vintage books on polar exploration, and subsequently this online catalogue, is a mere tribute to the endurance of polar mysteries throughout the ages. It is simply about keeping the passion alive.