"Meanwhile, Barr deserves praise of his own. Red Serge and Polar Bear Pants, exhaustively researched and well-written, is a worthy match for the man he writes about, and for the complex issues that arose when cultures met, collided and melded." -- Erling Friis-Baastad, The Yukon News.
"[T]he real pleasure of Red Serge and Polar Bear Pants remains in the stories, which take readers along on a series of epic journeys, fascinating side trips and a lifetime devoted to adventure." -- Ken Tingley, The Edmonton Journal.
"This book is one of the finest we have seen about life and hardship in the Arctic. ...a book worth reading." -- Alberta History Journal, Spring 2005.
"This remarkable young Englishman led one of the longest polar sledge patrols in RCMP history accompanying Ernest Shackleton. His 20 years in the North assisted in firming up Canada's claim to sovereignty in the Arctic. A good adventure tale and an important historical report." -- Ron MacIsaac, Island NEWS (Victoria, BC).
"This book is one of the finest we have seen about life and hardship in the Arctic. A wealth of letters and reminiscences provide a vivid account of Mounted Police life. There was little crime but Stallworthy was kept busy providing food and shelter for himself. On patrols, igloos made excellent overnight camps, and dog sleighs the mode of transportation. But Stallworthy doesn't complain; in fact, he thrives on the northern life. This is a book worth reading." Alberta History Journal, Spring 2005
"In [Red Serge and Polar Bear Pants], William Barr details the life and career of Harry Stallworthy, former RCMP officer and noted High Arctic traveller. While the book covers all periods of Stallworthy's life, its title and text emphasize his tenure in the High Arctic. That is entirely fitting, as it was in the Arctic that Stallworthy and a few other Mounties reinforced Canada's presence in its most remote region, while helping the Force capture the imaginations of Canadians in the period between the two World Wars..Barr's book is well documented, drawing in particular on Stallworthy's surviving papers. Some of the book's most engaging passages are extended excerpts from these papers, including a six-page excerpt from the Mountie's unpublished essay on a sledge journey he carried out from Chesterfield Inlet with the Inuk Naujaa, which gives the reader a feel for the character of RCMP service in the Arctic and its intercultural relations..The book is well illustrated with photographs from Stallworthy's collection..[T]he book is a worthy contribution to the scholarly literature on the exploration of Canada's High Arctic, and it will also be of interest to general readers." Lyle Dick, Arctic Journal, December 2005
"Stallworthy was a gifted raconteur who could hold listeners in rapt attention to stories of his life and travels, as so well related in this fine biography by Professor Barr. Stallworthy was a great mounted policeman, remembered in the legends of the north as one of the most undaunted travelers the land had known. " Geoffrey Hattersly-Smith, Polar Record.
"Barr's vivid account succeeds in elevating Stallworthy to his rightful place alongside more famous Canadian adventurers such as Sam Steele and F.J, Fitzgerald. Handsomely designed, with numerous photographs and helpful maps, Red Serge and Polar Bear Pants is a chronicle of an individual life, not a history of the Arctic sovereignty disputes or of the northern police force..Barr's biography shines especially in passages about Stallworthy's epic sledge patrols: the bitter cold, scarce provisions, and makeshift shelters, as well as the elemental pleasures of an unexpected feast and easy conversation with Inughuit companions after a successful hunt." Michael R. Anderson, Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Winter 2005/2006.
