I’m starting to collect memorabilia and rare books related to exploration, especially polar exploration, because I’m a nerd. My wife found this for me. First edition signed copy of Robert Peary’s (contested) account of discovering the North Pole. Theodore Roosevelt wrote the introduction. Extremely cool.

His account of Eskimo culture is pretty fascinating. They believed in the devil but had no conception of God. When a man died his dogs were killed and sent with him to the afterlife. When a woman died, her baby was sometimes strangled and buried with her. They were incredibly primitive but he respected them and was kind to them. This is the dynamic you find with many American and European explorers, despite what you may have heard.