Northwest Books

This book is among my all time favorites in Native American studies. Two Leggings was not the greatest or the most famous of the Crows, but he seemed true to his culture. This gave the book the very rare feel of cultural and spiritual authenticity. Bueno.

If you are interested in learning about spiritual power--sometimes referred to as medicine--amongst the plains Indians, then this book is for you. It discusses Two Leggings search for power through traditional vision quest and his inability to receive anything substantial. Ultimately, he receives something of value extended to him by his father-in-law. Also covered is what happens when a person makes a committment to spirit then dishonors that committment--the colapse and end of Sun Dance for the Crow people until it is returned years later through the Shoshone people.

This book was prepared by Nabokov from notes from interviews between the ethnographer and collector Wildschut and the aged Crow warrior Two Leggings. Those looking for a general account of plains Indian life in the mid to late 19th century may be disappointed. This book deals almost solely with Two Leggings spirtual pursuit of 'power' or 'medicine' to give him success in horse raids. And by extension status within his tribal society. The book highlights the significance of dreams to the Plains Indian and the impact they had on the real world. The book documents Two Leggings various attempts to acquire 'power' through fasting or vision quests and also gives accounts of numerous horse raids he made against his tribal enemies. The end of the days of freedom on the plains and the reservation period are largely ignored for, as far as Two Leggings was concerned, nothing of interest happened after the buffalo disappeared and horse raiding ended.

All in all an excellent book which reveals how the spritual world and warfare were so interwoven in the mind of the Plains Indian.

In 1919, anthropologist William Wildschut, living in Billings, Montana, at the time, befriended Crow Indian chief Two Leggings, who was living along the Bighorn River. Wildschut was interested in gathering Two Leggings's reminiscences. Bringing translators with him, Wildshut met with Two Leggings at his homestead over a lengthy period of time and wrote his memoirs down. The final 480-page manuscript was deposited in the archives of the Museum of the American Indian, where Peter Nabokov discovered it. Nabokov reworked Wildschut's manuscript somewhat, usually tightening up his expansive style, and this is the result.

The most striking thing about these reminiscences is how Two Leggings is not nearly as interested in Indian-white relations as he is with his raiding adventures against other tribes, especially against the Piegans. It seems his whole existence is centered on this activity. Almost equally important are his vision and dream quests; all important decisions are based on what are conjured in dreams and visions. Raiding enemy tribes, gathering coup, stealing horses - all these activities were primary to anyone wishing to be a great warrior chief. Possessing strong medicine that produced powerful visions was also important. Two Leggings relates his story up to about 1888 when the Crows were restricted to their reservation; he concludes, "Nothing happened after that. We just lived. There is nothing more to tell." His memoir is a fascinating one, and one that makes little acknowledgement of or concession to the white man's world.

A true account of Vitus Bering's voyage from Russia to discover what is now Alaska. Anyone interested in the history of Alaska should start by reading this book, or someone looking for an actual true life adventure story that makes one appreciate the dangers encounted in the 1700's by these amazing explorers. This book is written from the journals of Georg Stellar, the naturalist on-board the boat that discovered Alaska. The first written account and identification of many species that Stellar discovered and writes about in his journals. One of which is extinct today and his writings are the only account of the massive Stellar Sea Cow. A fabulous account of these adventurors and their interaction with the beautiful, but deadly, Alaska coast and it's native people.

Great historical read of the Russian Bering/Stellar voyage to Alaska. Corey Ford's writing is vivid, flowing, has first hand knowledge of the Bering Sea islands, gifted nature writer. I've given this book as a must read to several friends.

This was a terrific story about the quest to find what is now Alaska. It gives insight into just how courageous these early exployers were. I can't comprehend of enduring those sort of hardships. Ford is also a good biologist and gives interesting commentary on the animal life. He also describes what may have been the first observation of a diving reflex in a marine mammal, the now extinct Northern sea cow. If you read this, it would be hard to complain about our current quality of life.

Excellent story of the discovery of Alaska by the famous explorer,Vitus Bering and naturalist, Georg Steller. Combines text from Steller's extensive notes and observations of the author.

Sell is admittedly an outsider, always studying Boeing from the periphery of a neutral journalist, or family member of one employed there, yet he manages to deftly describe the essence and culture of Boeing as a longtime employee would. He understands and conveys the conservative approach Boeing has always taken toward state governmental affairs, and presents Boeing as above reproach in these matters, a reputation Boeing has gone to great lengths to ensure. I appreciated the detail to which Sell went to explain the legislative aspects of growth in Washington state and Boeing's occasional collisions with it - a good read whether one is interested in the evolution of Boeing from Bill Boeing's hobby shop to the economic powerhouse it is today, or if one is interested in the impact of growth. Sell also slips in delightful, but subtle witticisms.

A great read, especially considering recent events (Boeing leaving Seattle.)

This is a balanced and even-handed look at an issue that is confronting communities all over the country: How to deal with the costs of growth without losing the benefits. A good read.

Sell's book cuts through the fog of loyalty to green or greed parties and explains the paradox of growth with facts not fictions. Everyone has something to learn from this book. Sell makes both sides of the growth issue stand naked before the mirror and it isn't always pretty. "Wings of Power" is a well written and thoroughly researched book that, unlike most of this genre, is not devoid of humor.

so lucrative it attracted doctors & lawers . alaska's great salmon fisheries.

This is a profoundly moving account of a young commercial fisherman working in the pristine, danger-filled fishing ground of South-Eastern Alaska in the early 70's. Told in first person in a diary format, events of the four months of the fishing season takes the reader from descriptions of the beauty of the sea & land to terror of nature on the edge. There is direct manner to Upton's style that puts the reader right in the boat. This is great reading for any arm chair sailor that has dreamed of exploring The Great Land by boat.

Call me crazy, but this one is a 10 for me. I got my copy in 79 when it came out. Joe is a wonderful story teller. This book documents the joys and challenges of Upton and his wife during a season as small boat trollers in the southeast Alaska troll salmon fishery. The book is about commercial fishing, but really it is about staying alive and making a living in storms, good fishing and bad. If you can find it, GET IT

This is another in the American Girls Short Stories series about Kaya'aton'my', a nine-year-old Native-American girl growing up among the Nez Perce people in 1764. In this book, when Kaya losses a footrace against a girl from another tribe, she becomes jealous; but things go from bad to worse when it turns out that this same girl has become friends with Kaya's sister, Speaking Rain. Eventually, though, Kaya realizes that her jealousy has gone too far, and when a crisis hits, Kaya learns that there is much to be gained by working together.

This is another excellent American Girl story. My twelve-year-old daughter is a great fan of Kaya, and I must admit that I like the stories as well. I like the lesson that Kaya learns in this story, plus I like the story and illustrations for themselves. This is a very good book, one that my daughter and I both highly recommend.

Any literature or history aficionado would enjoy this book. I have recently gotten interested in this area of the world and have just finished a historical fiction novel called The Tenderness of Wolves and a movie entitled Snow Walker that opened my eyes to this frozen area of the world and its inhabitants. The author has completed a tremendous amount of research into Mr. Hearn's life and adventures, but the anecdotes he tells make it come alive. I forgot to cook supper tonight because I was so engrossed!

This book by Ken McGoogan recalls Peter C. Newman's fascinating books about the Hudson's Bay Company: Caesars of the Wilderness and The Company Adventurers. I think that schoolchildren should be reading these books rather than dry old history tomes. And, if all you have read are these history textbooks, then I suggest you give yourself a chance to revisit these amazing explorers. The story of Samuel Hearne is magnificently told by Ken McGoogan and it will have you thirsting for more stories of the amazing men and women (yes, women!) who lived, fought, loved in a cruel land. It was a book I could not put down.

Exploration stories often focus on the tropics. David Livingstone, Albert Russel Wallace, Richard Burton and others are readily recalled. The polar quests of Amundsen, Cook, Peary and Byrd probably follow in popularity. The upper latitudes seem almost overlooked. With little land mass approaching Antarctica and its pole, Canada and Russia are left for investigation by the enquiring mind. Having offered the life of one such wanderer in John Rae, McGoogan now reaches further back in time and place to reveal the life of Samuel Hearne. It's a fine study of a dedicated man.

McGoogan's lively narrative traces Hearne's Royal Navy career, then follows him to the Hudson's Bay Company [HBC] station of Prince of Wales Fort. With the Canadian Arctic still a terra incognita, various quests were under consideration - the Northwest Passage and/or an inland sea leading to Asia being prime contenders. A more specific ambition arose with indications of a vast copper resource near the Arctic Sea. Hearne pursued this rumour by trekking across the Canadian tundra to find it. Various interludes occurred along the way.

Hearne's expeditions to the Arctic seem pre-ordained to failure. Having but a hazy notion of what confronted him wasn't a hindrance. Bureaucracy proved the more serious impediment. The British attitude toward indigenous peoples compounded faulty notions of requirements for such a trip. With no idea of how Native Peoples? societies were structured, British HBC agents blundered into one crisis after another. In today's world, for a man to suggest that women must accompany the expedition to perform specialised tasks would bring down the wrath of the Human Rights Commission. In the 18th Century rise of the HBC in Canada women performed essential roles. No Native Peoples? women meant no Native Peoples? men. No men, no expedition. McGoogan explains all these circumstances without apology or condemnation. It's a professional historian's approach, worthy of full praise.

The other aspect of British imperialism's shortsighted view is the relationships among Canada's Native Peoples. Hearne and others would counsel peace to those who had been warring when the British still painted themselves blue. These animosities were not easily quelled and might break out without warning nor discernible reason. Hearne was confronted with this near the mouth of the Coppermine River. McGoogan, relying on Hearne's own account, describes the massacre of an Inuit settlement leading to the naming of "Bloody Falls". The event remained fixed in Hearne's memory for the remainder of his life.

Hearne, seeking an ephemeral copper lode, traversed immense stretches of the Canadian North. With various teams, but particularly relying on a Dene negotiator, Matonabbee, Hearne viewed the Arctic Ocean, the first European to reach it overland. The copper wasn't there, nor, in Hearne's opinion, was there any possibility of a Northwest Passage. He saw the Great Slave Lake, but when he later reported on his journey, skeptics were confounded by how far west it lay. Canada's vastness overwhelmed chair-bounded geographers. Hearne wasn't simply seeking mineral wealth. He recorded copious observations on plant and animal life in the region, as well as collecting information on the native peoples. More than just an adventurer, Hearne is credited by McGoogan as being one of earliest naturalists.

Hearne's return to England was less than satisfactory. An account of his travels netted him not a penny - he died before publication. One event, a likely meeting with Coleridge at a boy's school, may have led Hearne to become the source of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. While the notion is McGoogan's speculative idea, it's plausible enough to be valid. It certainly provided a good, if unexpected, title for the life of an Arctic explorer. McGoogan presents that life vividly, with only minor, forgiveable, embellishments. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This book has provided me with a good solid overview and a list of further resource material.

This is a must-read book for US servicemen given the coming conflict in Afghanistan that provides important information about our likely Afghan opponents and the lessons learnt over the decades by the Brits. The lessons learnt then have relevance still today and the book should appear on officer and NCO required reading lists.

This is an informative, well-written and impressively researched account of how British and Indian units fought on the North-West Frontier of India for nearly a 100 years. Fighting against the Pathan tribes became almost a way of life for imperial troops during repeated skirmishes and major campaigns in the period covered by the book. It effectively combines detailed and lively accounts of important battles with analysis of how the military prepared itself for this very specialised form of unconventional warfare.

Moreman provides a wealth of new information about frontier fighting and a detailed bibliography that makes it a must for all interested in British imperial military history. I thoroughly recommend it other readers.

This is a very well-done and informative book about the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest. I live in a new version of a Craftsman style house and found this book of great interest. Recommend!

Seattle, Portland, Spokane, and other areas of the Pacific Northwest step out of the shadows of history in this incredibly well-researched, thorough book. The authors' writing is simultaneously accessible and commanding, and the photographs of historic buildings, antiques, and unearthed "treasures" are wonderful to peruse. It is a top-notch publication that informs those interested in this geographical locale, as well as those interested in the overall Arts and Crafts movement.

I went to the Seattle Bungalow Fair the last weekend in September 2007. I met both authors and talked to them about their book. They spent lots of time researching the book and are very knowledgeable about the Arts and Crafts movement. I have been able to peruse it but have not had a chance to read it from cover to cover. It is a great book to just look at the pictures and captions. I am looking forward to learning more about the movement here in the Northwest. They have captured the true essence of the Northwest Arts and Crafts Movement. I would highly recommend that if you are in to Arts and Crafts, Bungalows, Mission, etc. that this is a must have book.
Paula

This book was wonderful for many reasons; the illustrations were fabulous in detail and selection of colors, the story is simple yet touching, but most of all I have a personal connection: I have a granddaughter named Aurora (a name given to her by her mother) and my Aurora was born on the day an aurora borialis shone brightly here in Michigan (November 7, 2005)!
I love the author's use of dancing word pictures, especially between Aurora and the lone caribou, our family is also a "dance" family.
Thank you for this story!

My mom bought me this book when I was younger because my name is Aurora. It is a really good book and the only one I have read where the main character has my name.

It is, in essence, a folk tale of how the aurora borealis came to be. A girl, Aurora, must travel by herself across the Arctic, and so she puts the different colors from the sky in her pocket. Different times of the day have different colors--pink, green, blue, and so on. When she comes to a place where the sun becomes dark blue (as there is no nightfall where she and her family live), she releases the colors so she won't be afraid. The colors help her family find her, and they stayed there and were named after her.
At the end of the book is some simple information about the story and about the aurora borealis.

Every child should read this book--especially if their name is Aurora.

Aurora A Tale of the Northern Lights is a beautifully written and stunningly illustrated original tale of the origin of the Aurora Borealis. The author, Mindy Dwyer has obviously been inspired by the beauty, grandeur, and mystery of her Alaskan environment. Elementary students of all ages will enjoy reading and listening to the descriptive narrative as they admire the colorful, unforgettable watercolor illustrations. Further, the story will inspire students to create their own legends and tales of natural occurrences. In the tale, Aurora, who lives where the sun never sets, longs to see the darkness she has heard about from her Grandmother. A caribou leads her on a long journey. As she is traveling, Aurora collects colors from the daylight sky to help her feel warm and safe. She finally reaches the place where the sun dips below the edge of the earth, and she views the mysterious darkness. Aurora flings the colors she has collected into the dark sky, and as they dance across the sky, she plays with them. The story weaves the spirit of adventure into an appealing tale of courage. Even though Aurora A Tale of the Northern Lights is a fanciful story, the book has a glossary of the very real scientific concepts introduced in the tale. As a teacher, I recommend the book to elementary students and to teachers who want to inspirie their students to read and write.

Brutally honest, but not so cynical that it's annoying.

This is a query as to what happened to the On the Loose Series. Did the big boys (Fodors, Frommers, Let's Go swallow them up?) Any information about the demise of these student writers would be appreciated.

This is the best guidebook I've ever read. It's brutally honest, concise, and seriously funny. Offers great resources and detailed maps. Have fun !