Alaska Books

Of course I like this book, since I, like Nancy Lord, have found my home in Alaska. Like her, I ended up fishing and settling into a coastal town with a relatively normal lifestyle.
I really recommend her books because she is not, like Krakauer or Michener or other Alaskan writers, just a tourist. She actually lives here, and you can tell that when reading her books. Finally a writer who doesn't just try to cover a lack of talent with impressive facts about Alaska!
In fact, these stories are not all about Alaska. They are modern short stories of the highest caliber, with a somewhat Japanese feeling at times.

There is nothing "traditional" about this book. Each story offers a new twist to an old tale that launches the reader into strange landscapes, real and imaginary. We're privy to the thoughts of a bear about to marry a woman who wants it all; a wolf-dog who eyes the smooth, white necks of anti-fur activists as they howl at a protest rally; and to a man's tormented dreams of the animals he's killed. Nancy Lord's sharp humor and sense of justice emerges in these stories. Each one opens out into the wider spectrum of living honorably. Sometimes gruesome, often funny, these stories are inventive and a delight to read.

This book has made me want to visit Alaska. I would recommend it to everyone! (Great bathroom book!!)

This book is full of very funny stories about Alaska and the people who live there. This is the kind of book that you can just pick up flip to any page and read something that will make you laugh. This is a must buy book for anyone who is interested in the lighter side of life. Anyone who reads this will laugh, you don't have to live in Alaska to get the jokes. This book is for everyone.

The book is very good. The history of the mountain makes it simple to write something interesting, but certainly Mr. Beckey has done an excellent and very comprehensive work, and he deserves the credit. The reading is fine too. I only missed some more detailed sketches of the routes, and at times I got a bit lost in the succession of climbing expeditions (though it is true that the book has a chronology at the end).

Also some of the final chapters perhaps do not belong in this book, but all in all I certainly recommend it.

Commenting on a Fred Beckey climbing book is a little like critiquing a Mozart opera: who among us, really, has any standing to question him? It's remarkable that the man combines such complete mastery of two crafts, both climbing and writing. Compared to Reinhold Messner, another heroic climber and author, Beckey's writing is much better, more insightful, and ultimately far more useful. The book begins with a forward by Heinrich Harrer, famous for the first climb of the north face of the Eiger, as well as his books "The White Spider" and "Seven Years in Tibet." Much of the book is a history, detailing the early explorations and attempts, including Cook, the sourdough expedition, and the Reverend Stuck's successful climb, on through the pioneering climbs of other routes on the mountain. This is one more book that demonstrates that, in his areas of experience, Fred Beckey is unsurpassed. He is a climber's climber (not least because of his legendary guidebooks) and this is a climber's book on Denali. It's extensively footnoted and makes good use of historical photos, which is a nice professional touch, but the real value of the book is Beckey's total knowledge of climbing and of the mountain. One of the chapters details his participation on the first climb of the NW buttress (the first ascent of the Wickersham Wall) as well as his subsequent first ascent, with Harrer, of nearby Mt. Hunter. It's hard to imagine undertaking a climb of Denali without reading this book first; the last section includes complete route descriptions of the four most-climbed routes on the mountain, an extensive record of accidents and disasters, including analysis of what went wrong, and a chapter on logistics and equipment. Some things have changed; Talkitna is already more built-up than it was in '93 when the book was published (with a soberingly well-used cemetary) and the standard routes are more crowded than ever, but the same accidents happen for the same reasons. If everyone who attempted the mountain read this book, it would be a safer place.

This is a great book to promote writing and photojournalism with children. The pictures and writing make you feel like you are exploring with them!

Fantastic photos of one of the planet's most scenic places. An excellent book for families who love the outdoors and enjoy sharing time together. Consider "My Denali" a dream book, it is inspirational and darn pretty to read, over and over again.

I recieved a copy of this book as a present for my two-year old. He loved the simplicity of the charming black and white sketches. The word patterns and rhyming were very effective in gaining and maintaining the attention of a toddler with a generally short attention span. As an experienced teacher endorsed in Teaching English as a Second Language, I found the layout and word choice set in a way that has been proven to be effective for developing language and reading skills in young children. I would recomend this book to any parent or primary teacher's library.

As a former teacher, I can say without a doubt that this is an excellent books for young children. It is a nice story about a young caribou and contains lots of rhyming. The book is also wonderful because it is about an Alaskan animal. Those of you teaching in or about Alaska will find it a valuable addition to your classroom library. For parents, it is an excellent book to read to your child. They will enjoy the story and trying to fill in the rhyming words. I recommend this book for anyone working with young children.

Good read-aloud for younger kids and read-alone for older kids.

My son is ten and really enjoyed this book. I picked it up because he has really enjoyed the huskies on Nintendogs, and I thought he might like this tale. He did! We will be reading more of these mysteries!

Carole Marsh uses real kids in her book. As far as a work of fiction, there is not that much imagination, but the stories are VERY real, and very educational. The dialog between the kids is excellent, and that is what keeps the real interest going.

As a parent, I so appreciate how she includes maps and educational tidbits. There's a scavenger hunt at the end that can be photocopied.

I did this book as a read aloud. It was not so thick as to be cumbersome. I gave my child a copy of the scavenger hunt. He enjoyed 'finding' the items and checking them off his list.

We turned this book into a unit study and it was FUN! I did not get one word of complaint, and my son would always want to do another chapter, even when I was busy. Therefore, we finished this book QUICK!

I hope they will let me pass on this tidbit - in addition to the book, there are great pictures and educational worksheets on math and many other academic subjects over at http://www.iditarod.com

Here's the link to the worksheets and lessons - they go LIKE A DREAM with this book and are free:
http://www.iditarod.com/4-1-1.html

Enjoy!

We met the author, Judy Hall, while she was a crew member on the Avacha, a Russian sailing boat cruising the eastern Pacific commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Russian Sailing Fleet. Judy has an indepth knowledge of southeast Alaska and shares this information in a very comprehensive and understandable way!

This is a must-have book for anyone interested in the diverse plants found in the rainforests of SE Alaska. It is comprehensive and written in such a way that amateur and seasoned botanist can benefit from it. The best part is that with this guide, the reader does not need to wade through plants that are not in this area to find the species of interest. It covers only SE Alaska and covers it in a comprehensive way.

Several other books exist on plants of SE Alaska, but also cover a broad range beside, such as the whole state, or Alaska, BC and Washington. This one is specific to the region. I also like the fact it includes not only wildflowers, but trees, shrubs and ferns too. I'd recommend it to everyone, visitor or resident with a desire to know more about the plants of SE Alaska.

William Brown Ph.D.

"Johnny and Sara Frank's lives were steeped in the old ways of survival in the upland boreal forest of northeastern Alaska. Constantly on the move in search of game and other wild resources, sharing the harvest with others around them, and passing on their skills and cultural values through a rich tradition of oral literature, the Franks are vivid examples of how the Gwich'in people survived as a tribe." "The stories told...are presented here with English translations on facing pages. The finished texts were transcribed from more than thirty-five hours of tape recordings." "...they present a balanced view of the Gwich'in world -- the masculine and the feminine, the spiritual as well as the practical."

This is a book similar to "Dena'ina Legacy", it just describes different people in a different language. Well, I tried to compare the text and translation - it just won't work for Athabaskan, but the texts are interesting, there are pictures, biographies of the informants in English only, bilingual mythical texts, and bilingual stories taken from life. Tone is marked. The texts together are quite long, not just examples. If you are interested in Northern Athabaskans, this book is worth reading.

I've always loved the music of Glenn Miller. Especially being a swing dancer. What makes this book so great is Mr. Simon was there with Glenn and the orchestra, pitching in on drums for backup, and involved in every aspect. He was associated with Glenn during those great years of the Big Bands. His personal way of talking to the reader makes you feel like you were there, too. You become intimately involved in his life, through scores of wonderul photos, diary entries, and interviews with others who knew Glenn well. You also are introduced to many of the band members. After reading this book, I feel like I know not just Glenn, but Marion Hutton, Trigger Alpert, and all the other wonderful musicians who made the most wonderful music in the history of the world.

I used to wish I could travel back in time to the swing era, and witness bands like Glenn Miller's live. Now, after reading this book, I feel like I have.

During the 1970's some of the liner notes of re-issued Glenn Miller music engaged in a good bit of "Miller Bashing." It seemed like it was fashionable to find anyone who had ever been disgruntled about working for Glenn and interview them. That was in direct contrast to the syrupy portrayal of Glenn in the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" (which is still very enjoyable with all of it's inaccuracies). George T.'s biography of Miller stands out as a beacon of accuracy in a sea of extremist hyperbole.

Simon and Miller were friends before and during the peak of Miller's popularity. Simon even recorded with Miller on a few Decca sides before Glenn formed a band with stable personnel; and Simon was one of the section drummers in Miller's Army Air Force Band during WWII. However, George did not go to England, but remained behind to head up the V-Disc recording program. I say all this by way of giving the author's impeccable credentials. Simon was the best man for the job.

This biography is balanced, fact filled, and completely enjoyable. While Simon clearly likes Miller, he doesn't mind mentioning a couple of times when they experienced rough spots in their friendship. Simon is able to use his relationship with Miller to paint an intimate picture of Glenn Miller the man, as well as GM the musician.

This book works on a number of levels, and is a must read for anyone who wants to know more about the Big Band Era. Thank goodness it is still in print.

I see that this is now out as a reprint and inasmuch as I just finished reading an original hardcover, I am glad to see it is being made available to keep alive the incredible story of Noel Wien and his pioneering of bush pilot flying in Alaska.

To those of us who fly in modern airplanes with marvelous instruments over well laid out air routes with accurate maps and GPS's, the stories of the exploits of Noel Wien and others in the early days of flying in Alaska read like fiction.

To begin with, Alaka is down right inhospitable to airplanes, especially airplanes in the 1920's. The hardships and problems of operating an open cockpit aircraft in that environment would be enough to discourage all but the most resolute and most talented pilots. Just living in Alaska in those times was only for the rugged and adventurous.

The author has told Wien's story in a most readable way which will leave you shaking your head at his experiences and difficulties, yet filled with admiration that there was a man so filled with the spirit of adventure, courage and talent that he stood head and shoulders over those that followed him, both as a pilot and a man.

This book is one of my favorites. I am buying another as I have worn down the original paperback that I found in a used bookstore. The book follows the life of Noel Wien from his beginnings in rural Minnesota to his eventual ownership of the largest Airline in Alaska. If you are a pilot or if you are an aviation afficianado, this book will appeal to you. The stories are very readable and the writer does a great job of making them storylike. He ties Wien into Alaska's history, especially the early days of aviation.