A Complete Guide to Arctic Wildlife

(A&C Black, £40)

Credit: P. MICHELSON

Despite its harsh climate, the Arctic Circle is home to a rich fauna, including the male ptarmigan pictured here. A year-round resident of the Arctic, this bird retains his summer plumage on his head, with white winter feathers on his body. In A Complete Guide to Arctic Wildlife (A&C Black, £40), Richard Sale provides an extensive field guide to the birds and mammals that inhabit this harsh and unforgiving environment. The book also provides an introduction to the geology and geography of the region, shows how this has shaped the organisms that live there, and discusses the impact of humans on this fragile environment.

The World of the Polar Bear

(Firefly, £29.99, $45)

The World of the Polar Bear (Firefly, £29.99, $45) features a collection of stunning photographs by Norbert Rosing. The book explores a year in the life of the polar bear and the environment it inhabits.

Surviving Antarctica

  • David N. Thomas
To be published by Natural History Museum Publishing next month (£9.99)

Surviving Antarctica by David N. Thomas, to be published by Natural History Museum Publishing next month (£9.99), examines how endemic inhabitants and human visitors at the other pole survive in one of the most inhospitable regions on the planet.