Posted by Peter Ceresole on August 31, 2012 at 13:06:48 user PeterC.
In Reply to: Re: Another North Pole? posted by Ed Kiser on August 31, 2012 at 05:55:18:
Quite right, Ed. Of course the illustration in your post wasn't by AR, so it's hard to draw too many conclusions from it as he created the NP in his imagination and he's the only person who really knew what he had in mind, but his illustration (p.323, JC 1948) is fairly similar, even if much less detailed. It appears longer- definitely not circular- but it is certainly up a steep slope. However it has no background at all- just a well pictured whiteout. But definitely not Borrans Park, which looks jolly flat in the photos and on Street View.
But again; unlike the real Dogs' Home, which is very close indeed to AR's version, the North Pole doesn't have to be so close to whatever set him thinking. Unromantically, I always reckoned that authors shouldn't necessarily be connected to their characters or stories, and that a handful of salt is a good accompaniment to a good read...
But looking for the reality behind AR's stories is unusually rewarding, and great fun...