Through a special collaboration with "The New York Times", Kingfisher Publications is pleased to present a new way to learn about the events and concepts that define our world.

Gripping first-person narratives, written by veteran "New York Times" journalists, bring history and current events to life for young readers.

Full-colour illustrations, photographs and sidebars explain key concepts, and historical articles from the archives of "The New York Times" place events in the global context.

This fresh, authoritative narrative taps the knowledge and experience of one of the US's most honoured science writers, Andy Revkin.

Beginning with a white-knuckle airplane landing on an ice floe at the top of the world, Andy leads readers through a world of ice and water, describing the stark beauty of the pole, the scientists who endure the arctic chill to study this vanishing land, the adventurers who are drawn to the north for personal reasons, and the not-so-pretty realities of camping in the Arctic without running water. From there, we learn about the historical draw of the pole - beginning with the Ancient Greeks and continuing through the arctic expeditions of Franklin, Peary, Byrd and Amundsen - then continue on to the discoveries of the newest adventurers to the north: scientists.

Years of research, interviews and science coverage come together to explain the phenomenon of global warming, varied perspectives on its causes and potential effects, and the implications it holds for the frozen north.