Igor Zotikov has been involved in Antarctic glaciological research since the 1957-1958 third International Polar Year (IPY). His theoretical analyses of ice flow and heat transfer were important early contributions to our present understanding of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. These contributions were also critical to the eventual appreciation that a large body of water existed beneath the approximately 3.7-kilometer-thick ice column at Vostok Station in central East Antarctica. In his short book, titled The Antarctic Subglacial Lake Vostok: Glaciology, Biology and Planetology, Zotikov reflects on his and his colleagues' 40-year contribution to the story of Lake Vostok's discovery, and to future exploration of subglacial lake environments.