Arctic offering from Strontian "man of many lives"

Professor McVicar is a father, a grandfather and a passionate environmentalist.

Having grown up listening to stories of the Arctic from his family, it was no surprise that he, too, spent time getting to know the landscapes, wildlife and people who call the Arctic home.

With this first hand lived experience of the culture and lifestyle coupled with a huge respect and understanding of the people of the warm and cold Arctics, his book ’The Two Arctics: Their People and Their Problems’ has been released in paperback and ebook.

Exploring the history of the Sami people of the warm Arctic and the Innuit people of the cold Arctic, Eric draws on family history dating back more than a century, including stories heard as a child from his Uncle Alex - the famous Alex Ritchie.

Alex Ritchie’s story is told verbatim in this book, along with personal experiences of charting the impact of modern society with the associated technology, politics and pressure.

’The Two Arctics’ tells the stories of people who have lived since the dawn of time in harmony with nature, taking only what they need, creating zero waste and living fulfilling and meaningful lives.

Building on culture and traditions handed down through generations, life evolves with at a natural pace in a low impact manner.

Covering pre-history and travelling through time, the book includes Viking skirmishes, the creation of new countries, new governments and periods of pride and shame in the heritage of the Sami and Innuit cultures to the issues faced by these people in the present day and beyond.

This is a fascinating and compelling read - bleak and hopeful, educational and thought provoking.

Professor McVicar is brutal in his honesty, poetic in his celebration of the people for which he has immense respect and affection and damning in his judgement of the external interference in a way of life which makes sense, from the earliest invaders in history to the current meddling of those who seek to disrupt these lifestyles - whether in the name of greed, self service or misguided values.

’The Two Arctics’ is available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon.