Alaska Books

Colin Chisholm's Through Yup'ik Eyes is a truly remarkable and ground-breaking work.

The subject of Mr. Chisholm's book is his mother, and his love and respect for her shine through on every single page of this hauntingly written book. The fact that he devoted several years to his quest to learn about his mother's past is itself a remarkable undertaking. What he produced as a result of his travels and studies is a compelling look at a woman who wanted desperately to go "home," but was unable to do so. What makes Through Yup'ik Eyes so truly inspiring is that Mr. Chisholm did in fact find a way to take his mother home. Through his efforts, she was posthumously reunited with her relatives after so many painful years of being away.

We live in a changing world, and not the least of the changes are the new ways we are finding to define our identities. Mr. Chisholm succeeded in returning his mother to her beloved Alaska, but he also made a big stride in offering a definition of family. Rather than painting an entire group of people with one brush, what Mr. Chisholm offers is a deeply moving picture of one woman and her relationship to her son.

A humbling, chilling, sensitive, compassionate portrayal of a love toward a mother, and the search for the identity of a silent history, is truly extracted by the author about his experience as a child of a mother whom he wants strongly to understand.

To create a story about a culture one only has glimpses of as one is growing up because of some silence or resistence that brought the parent to carry is, in and of itself, a very difficult task to bear. Colin Chisholm in blending reality and fiction into a heart-felt document, unfolds the silent stories of many children who, like his mother, were taken away during the tuberculosis and influenza epidemic that killed so many of the Yup'ik Eskimo people at the turn of the 2oth century. In one sense Colin's mother was fortunate to be able to live; whereas so many people such as my grandparents, were not -- who knew and possibly saw Mrs. Chisholm being taken away at such a tender age, never to be seen again. A sensitive topic written with respect about a culture the author only knows a little of is truly an honorable effort. I commend Mr. Chisholm in telling part of my Yup'ik history in a way that brings out the love, the struggles, and the determination to survive that Yup'ik people faced, and continue to face.

How brave and honorable it is to learn that Colin is able to track down the side of his family he doesn't know, and in a culture that is seldom recognized or heard of. The yearning for meaning about family and the love for a mother whom Colin Chisholm pursued ends up in a stronger family relationship. Colin's mother would be so proud of a son that bravely conquered family ties.

I can't believe this book is still in print, almost 20 years after I first owned it! I had this book when I lived in Alaska as a child (my parents were USAF and stationed in Anchorage), and I loved it then. It's interesting and engaging, and the illustrations are vivid and wonderful. I was just thinking about this book the other day and how great it was, and I'm very happy to be able to share it with my husband, who is also a dinosaur fan and "young at heart." "Thunderfeet" is a great book for anyone interested in dinosaurs and prehistoric Alaska!

This is a great book about early Alaska. It tells you that once it had a warmer climate, but it moved over time and got colder. Dinosaurs were really strange in Alaska, in this book, it explains dinosaurs all (almost) went to the same place to die in the Ice Age! You will learn more intresting facts if you read this cool book!

Having had the priveledge to spend time with the Martins when they were in Alaska I can attest to the heart they had for the work they were doing for the Lord and what a colection of stories they had from their incredible trip. Just think all the way in that old John Deere tractor. A true, incredible story of dedication, commitment, and faith.

Very inspirational. In todays world it is very rare to come across people that are so committed to a cause that they go to such an extreme to tell the world. On the back of the book it says, " They inspired us as living examples of the challenge and joy following the Spirit's nudging." I found this quite true!!
Pass the word, tell your friends! Excellent for gift giving.

A very well illustrated and written narrative of a train ride into the wilderness of Alaska. I am a collector of Alaskana books and was happy to add this to my extensive collection. The author writes of things that children are intersted in: trains, adventure, and the last frontier. Take a ride along the worlds most remote rails from the sprawling metropolis of Anchorage to the remote wilds which fervidly encroach upon its front door. Even if you are not a fan of Alaskana this book will interest all train aficionados, wilderness fans, and watercolor devotees. Rustle up your adventure gear and grab your conductors cap this ride's destination is pure delightful entertainment.

This is a wonderful children's book that gives insightful information on the Alaska Railroad. The watercolors in the book are colorful and vivid as they portray Alaska's beauty in the summer. Two thumbs up!

Tour of Duty in the Pacific Northwest: E.A. Porcher and H.M.S. Sparrowhawk 1865-1868. My great grandfather was a warrant officer gunner on this ship during the exact period covered. E.A. Porcher was the Captain of H.M.S. Sparrowhawk and a brilliant water colour artist. I ordered vis Amazon.com as I was able to purchase a brand new copy of the book for less than half the price of a used copy in the UK! Okay, it took 27 days to arrive in UK but I was told this when ordering. Very efficient service - very well packaged and arrived in perfect condition. I certainly advise UK based customers to check this site if time is not important. Thanks. The book gives a fascinating insight into the life of British sailors 140 years ago and of the relationship between the Canadian Innuits and the authorities during the establishment of British Columbia. The watercolour paintings are a delight and study of the characters and their costumes brings the period to light.

Edmund Augustus Porcher was the captain of a Royal Navy vessel serving an Esquimalt-based tour of duty on Vancouver Island. Porcher was also a watercolor artist who made an impressive array of sensitive and skillfully executed paintings of what he saw. A Tour Of Duty In The Pacific Northwest: E. A. Porcher and H.M.S. Sparrowhawk, 1865-1868 is an impressive and uniquely informative work drawn from the ship's record and Captain Porcher's commentaries, enhanced with his superb paintings and illustrations presenting the reader with a kind of "window in time" to understand and feel what it was like in those times and places along Canada's Pacific coasts, as well as the complex and multifaceted roles and functions of a British war vessel. A Tour Of Duty In The Pacific Northwest is a unique and highly recommended contribution that will be greatly appreciated by students of maritime, and Canadian nineteenth century history.

A must read for anyone planning to visit Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Vividly written and illustrated, Trails Across Time gives the modern traveler a view of the dramatic natural and human history of this beautiful part of Alaska.

Jim Richardson

Since I love Alaska and try to read any book I can get about this state, I had to purchase this one. And I am glad I did!
In this book, the author describes the area of South-central Alaska, its people, its history, geology and culture, leaving the reader with an authentic flavor of that special place in time. I also love the layout of the book. It is rich with photographs, historical and contemporary, as well as maps. I love the sidebars! The information there is colorful and engaging, as the author describes people's lifes in the "early days" of living in Southcentral Alaska. Johnson makes the book come alive with reality and this reader experienced a bit of nostalgia over by-gone times of the early days of this last frontier. I found the list of historical places along the corridor very useful, as I did the extensive bibliography.
Special attention has been given to the history of the development of transportation routes - trails, trains, roads and waterways and the development of communities along those routes.
This is a MUST READ for anyone who loves history, geography, culture and the great State of Alaska.
With book in hand, I have made a list of places to go and things to see for my next visit to the North.

This is the best book available regarding the little-known and mysterious transient orcas. In addition to having a detail catolgue of each transient whale in B.C waters, the book analysis and discuss the distinct behaviour and hunting styles of the transients, which are completely different from the salmon-eating resident killer whales.

Futhermore, there are numerous rare and spectacualr photos showing transients launching into the air and attacking their preys. This shows why Killer Whales are called "killers". For while these whales do not attack or eat man, they are highly efficient predators, no marine mammal is safe from transient whales. Read this book and you will understand why.

This is the definitive source for information on the transient or mammal hunting race of killer whales of the U.S. Pacific Northwest. If you are serious about learning what there is to know about these fascinating superpredators-this is THE book to buy. I am a naturalist on a whale watch boat in the San Juan Islands and we use this book constantly to inform our guests about the "alter egos" of our salmon eating Resident Orcas. Fabulous pictures and incredible stories.

Featuring a skillfully written text in the form of a kind of prose poetry by Deb Vanasse, which is perfectly framed by the full color artwork of Jeremiah Trammell, Under Alaska's Midnight Sun is a picturebook about a young girl living in Alaska who looks forward to the longest day of the year - the solstice. During this time the sun never sets on Alaska, people and animals are reluctant to sleep, and the midnight sun shines brightly. The playfully exuberant illustrations are the perfect complement to this read-aloud storybook that will introduce young readers to how different day and night can be at far northern latitudes.

This story brings me back to childhood and brings back forgotten memories of how fun it was to stay up late with my family as a child. In this story you follow a little girl and her little brother on a journey through a world of majestic sceneries and wildlife which is brought to life by Trammell's beautiful paintings.
I beleive that a succesful children's book needs to inspire a childs imagination and keep them interested and involved from cover to cover, this book does all of these and has my highest recomendation for children of all ages and adults alike.

Many thanks to Mr. Hawley for producing the book that Earl Dunkle hoped to write, but was too busy working on the next mining project to complete. This is a valuable and unique historical account of the early mining days in Alaska, with primary focus on copper development, as experienced by one of the state's greatest geologist and mining engineers. It is wonderful to have all this detailed and well-documented information under one cover so that it is not lost.

Mr. Dunkle's life was centered on the Herculean task of finding and commercializing copper, gold, coal, and other important minerals at a time when Alaska was a near wilderness. His legendary strength, inquisitive and creative mind, considerable web of contacts with financiers and fellow geologists, rapport with working men, and ability to see a project through earn him a premier place in the state's hall of fame. Mr. Dunkle insight (and courage) in using small airplanes as a tool in mineral exploration and mine development also had a lasting impact on the state. For those of us who now live in Alaska, it is fascinating to encounter in this historical account the names of people, or parents of people, that are part of our lives today, fifty years after Dunkle's death. It is interesting to see how the seeds of a future Alaskan began to sprout in his early life in Pennsylvania and later at Yale University.

The book is not written as a thriller, and does not unrealistically laud the "flying miner". If anything, the drama is understated. This is a focused history book. It is the scale and importance of the events it depicts that give the book its significance. Complete footnotes, a long bibliography, and a good glossary of mining terms add to its value to anyone researching Alaska mining history. Certainly the book should be required reading to anyone planning to visit the Kennicott mining site near McCarthy!

Charles Hawley provides his readers with an incredibly detailed fact-filled account of the life of one of the most famous and brilliant Americans in history - Wes Dunkle. The book is packed with interesting facts, photos, and anecdotes of the life and times of one of the true genius minds in pioneer history. The book provides excellent historical facts and records while at the same time offers very entertaining reading. A must have for anyone interested in mining, pioneering or the history of Alaska.
Peter Besler, Toronto Canada

This is an excellent book that shows how 'real Alaaskans' lived. All of the stories in the book are told from the perspective of the author when he was a child. We find out what he did with his brothers to pass the time when they lived in the middle of nowhere.

This book is filled with vivid and humerous detail in every story. You will die laughing as he talks about the outhouse, how he fought it, and how it defeated him. You will also laugh at their Christmas traditions, but will also want to adapt them for yourselves as well. Even in a tragic story about a fire, he finds a moment of humor.

And for those who love animal tales, he dedicates a story to each of the three dogs that he remembers, as well as a truly uniqe story of a purple parakeet. Each story he captures their essence so well that you feel like you knew that pet.

If you love stories about Alaska life, you'll love it. If you love to laugh, you'll want to read this. If you love stories about kids antics and thought processes, you'll love this book. If you like Dave Barry, you'll probably like this as well...

My daughter and I enjoyed reading this book last summer. I read it out loud to her as she was recovering from mono. The stories were unique and kept us intrigued. After each story, I would ask her if she wanted another, and the answer was always "yes". The stories revolved around episodes in the lives of five brothers who were raised in a house without water and electricity. This setting, and the outrageous antics of the boys, provided visual images that I never could have dreamed of! I recommend this book to those who want an "up close and personal" account of an active family living in a remote part of Alaska. I promise you that you have never read anything quite like this.