To see the transcribed text with images (if possible) use the FB2 version. This is deliberately more of a fairy tale than a realistic tale. It was, at the time this book was written, an ambition of Ballantyne's to write a fairy tale, a story of total improbability. This is it. The idea is, that as the Earth is rather flattened at the poles, it will be lower there than it is at the equator--that is, nearer the centre of the Earth. Then by some curious logic it is made to appear that the area round the North Pole must be quite warm, with plants and animals thriving there, such as you would find in balmier climes. To get to this temperate region you have first to penetrate the ring of ice that surrounds the North Pole. Then, suddenly, there you are, out of the cold, and in the warm. One touch that appealed to your reviewer was the use of kites to tow their inflatables. The picture of the intrepid explorers in their vessels, which look very like the sort of thing people go rafting in nowadays, looked incredibly modern, though it "took place" almost 130 years ago. Your reviewer enjoyed it because he has been in the habit of getting a kite to tow his kayak. Realising all this, and not taking it too seriously, you will enjoy the story that Ballantyne has woven into this book. First published 1882.