Alaska Books

Without Reservation is a collection of free-verse poetry by Alaskan Native American John E. Smelcer that emphasizes clear tone and vivid images that are simple, honest, and as-is. Smelcer is the only surviving speaker, reader, and writer of his native language of Ahtna, Without Reservation is a compelling voice, unforgettable and highly recommended. The Incomplete & Unauthorized Definition Of American Indian Writers: "Indian" is not a derogatory word./It's what we call ourselves.//Not all Indians wear long black hair/or faded red bandanas and denim.//I've never seen a Red Man.//Fiction and nonfiction by Indians outsells poetry by Indians.//No Indian poet has won the Pulitzer Prize.//Indian writers shouldn't drive sports cars./I traded my yellow Porsche for a pick-up truck/with a quarter million miles/and a rifle rack in the rear window...

Examines the Alaska-Canada World Heritage Site covering Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks in the US and Kluane and Tatshenshini-Alsek in Canada, the world's largest protected wilderness.

It was a very informative book that I purchased for my father before he got to take a trip down the Alaskan Highway!

Chapters:

Arsenal of Democracy
Western Union Boy in the Aleutians
Reflections of Army Life at Kodiak
The Quonset Hut in Alaska
The Story of VP43
50-Year Memories
AFG: Alaska's Patriotic Militia
Northway & Tanacross: Airports for the War Effort
The SEarch for Oil Continues
Bibliography
Index

A comprehensive history of the "forgotten front", Hutchison provides indepth information on all combatants; American, Japanese, Canadian and Russian. Internationally honored, the book describes details only available from distant archives from around the world. In this book these rare and disintegrating documents come together for the first time, and illuminate what occured in the frozen north. The north being the only active World War II theater, this book is a major achievment, and a must for any library.

An amazing, almost impossible to find, out-of-print National Geographic Alaska release- Yakutat: The Turbulent Crescent is a detailed insight into a fascinating corner of the world. Here, majestic glacial flows create titanic gorge walls; here white peaks of Mount St. Elias rise thousands of feet over the coast; Here, the little pine-nestled borough of Yakutat sits on the water's edge in view of it all.

Yakutat: The Turbulent Crescent studies the geological features of Yakutat and its history and pre-history. There are many nice, large photos- some full-bleed. The huge 1899 Yakutat Earthquake is explored- an earthquake which rose the sea level fifteen feet, caused three monstrous (60- 200 feet) tsunamis to roll into the bay at five minute intervals, and caused whirlpools to form which sucked down towering pines like toothpicks in a bathtub drain> This earthquake was witnessed first-hand by both the white settlers and the native Indians.

And I've just got to note: Yakutat has some of the most reliable surf in all of Alaska. Some waves can be seen in the background of a few of the photos. I like to think of this as- Yakutat: The Tubular Coast.

Having been interested in the Yukon, I bought this book and all I can say is Wow. In addition to providing breathtakingly beautiful pictures, this book describes all aspects of the Yukon: Its geography, history, and people. It profiles some of the Yukon's many colourful citizens, from Jurg Hofer (who runs a trapline about as big as his native Switzerland), to Polly, the fabled 122-year-old parrot who died in 1972.
This book would get five stars just for the pictures alone, which detail much of the Yukon's pristine, untouched wilderness. It acts in effect like a travel brochure for the Yukon, showing some of the World's most beautiful wilderness.
This book should be sought after by those interested in the Yukon, those interested in wilderness, and those who love photography. It is a first-rate compendum of the Yukon, to which I would have given ten stars, if that were possible.

The Yukon Quest is a 1000 mile dog sled race through the Yukon and Alaska that pits man and is best friend against the worst Mother Nature has to offer. In this book John Firth takes the reader through each stage of the 1998 Yukon Quest. Also filled within the pages are anecdotes from all the races between 1984 to 1997. The stories are personal, they are real, they will make you laugh, they will make you cry, but most of all they will make you see the bond that the mushers have with their dogs. There is a relationship between the musher and his/her dog team that goes beyond that of a pet. There is trust, love, and the enjoyment of being together.The interactions between the mushers can be comical at times but it can also turn serious when necessary. Frith has many stories from the mushers that will show you both sides. The best thing about all the mushers is that no matter what, if someone needs help everyone will stop to help and forget about the race until everybody is safe. The must rely on each other, they are the only people around for hundereds of miles. It is not easy to cross 1000 miles of frozen land and water. They must help each other if they can. The book also gives a history of the race such as route changes and political problems encountered. The 1998 official race rules are included as are the results and awards from 1984 to 1998.

Collecting the stories of the WEstern Union Telegraph Expedition in a colorfully dictated edition featuring Dall's accounts from 1866 through the gold rush of the Klondyke.

The tone and tenor of this excellent history of Alaska matches perfectly the subject it details: straightforward, lively, tough-minded, and sincere. She relates the history of the state from the first Russian fur trading stations of the 1700s through the most recent trends, including the building of the Alaskan pipeline and modern mining developments. Still considered a frontier up to the present day, Webb focuses on various "frontiers" throughout Alaska's history: the trader's frontier, the explorer's frontier, the miner's frontier, and others, including transportation (3 chapters), the military, and missionaries. Webb has a great feel for this vast land and for the people who have chosen to inhabit it; she obviously is concerned with the big issues, but she also includes the simpler human-interest concerns, such as what mail carrier Ed Biederman went through to deliver the mail in winter in the early 1900s. Her writing is vivid and the story of Alaska that she tells is interesting and informative from beginning to end. Highly recommended.