This collection preserves on microfilm the only encyclopedia ever compiled devoted exclusively to the polar North. It is considered an essential reference by scientists, historians, geographers, anthropologists, and geologists conducting research on the Arctic.

Encyclopedia Arctica was compiled and edited by noted explorer and scholar Vilhjalmur Stefansson. Stefansson and his editorial staff, working under the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research, completed 16 volumes of articles on the Arctic Region written by leading specialists from around the world.

The 16 volumes plus the typeset drafts of the unpublished volumes included in this collection feature articles and information on:

• the sciences, including Arctic geology, permafrost engineering, zoology, plant sciences, meteorology, oceanography, anthropology, archaeology, transportation, communications, geography, territorial sovereignty, and history
• trade, featuring accounts of the northern activities of the Hudson's Bay Company
• biographies of important Arctic figures and explorers, plus a glossary of Arctic terms and phrases
• maps, diagrams, and charts