Northwest Books

An excellent first hand narrative with lively and descriptive writing by one of the first pioneers to help settle the untamed Northwest. Alexander Ross joined Astor's Pacific Fur Company expedition in 1810 and this is his story of the day to day struggles which he and the other men had to overcome. He left New York on the soon to be ill-fated, doomed ship the Tonquin, with a pompous and overbearing Captain Thorn. They sailed around the tip of South America, then to Hawaii and finally to the mouth of the Columbia River, all the while prevailing over many hardships during this voyage. Upon landing and without delay, the men began to construct the trading post Astoria. Ross' detailed descriptions of their adventures amidst the forces of Mother Nature, Indian relations, the Northwest Fur Company, geography, etc. makes this book a real page turner. They all had many obstacles to overcome, and as I said, his writing skills are exemplary. He devotes the last few chapters to the culture and customs of one of the local Indian tribes. The man was a keen and acute observer of all his surroundings and this is an energetic effort on his part to put it in writing.

I think that after Sir Olaf Caroe's book "The Pathans" which is generally regarded as the magnum opus of this confounding subject, this book (though not as well known) is the second best exposition I have come across regarding Afghans (also Pashtuns or Pathans)that I can safely recommend as such.
Victoria Schofield is very much a contemporary english author, but to my scrutiny she does not seem to suffer from the flaws which such people mostly display, especially those from the now dominant American style of writing. Consider: she doesn't touch her subject of study lightly or casually, or lace it with flighty rhetorical assumptions or hyperbole. She is forthright but gracefully so, in her assessment of Afghan realities past and present, unlike the timorous liberal or childishly amateurish and abrupt attitudes we now see prevalent towards it. For instance on P.266 of the book she mentions an international antiques dealer John Suidmak, who "discovered in a curious way that he could not do good business (with his Afghan counterparts)until he had learnt to lie". Now that would evoke howls of protests from "non-ethnocentric" and "politically correct" Western types, as well as "educated" immigrant Afghans residing in the West - who want to conceal as much as they can the realities of their native culture and society from credulous Westerners for a variety of cunning reasons - but it is a reality which I as a Pathan can vouch for 100%. And I wouldn't want to hide it from Westerners, because unlike other Afghans, I am half Anglo-Saxon and my principles and upbringing wouldn't permit such chicanery or hidden agendas as being justified. The whole tone of her book is set like that, a treasure rarely wittnessed nowadays. The truth is the truth whether it is ethnocentric or not. Western liberals and scholars of the present day have beset themselves with a plethora of terms that cast aspersions on ordinary common sense, and Victoria Schofield is not one of those! The book's subtitle "Fighting and Feuding" sums up the main aspect of Afghan reality, which the author wishes to bring to her readers' attention. Lastly, Victoria's work doesn't suffer from the "typos" and misspelt native place and people's names that nowadays so ubiquitously bedevil even the best of publications and distract from their worth. In other words, Miss Schofield is a high quality author. She seems to remind me of those pioneering British ladies of a certain period and disposition, made of stern and sturdy but graceful stuff - who went confidently where their vast empire used to take them. In this regard I am reminded of Lady Sale (also mentioned herein) who chronicled an elaborate account, from her personal travails, of the First Anglo-Afghan war of 1839-43; and of my own British mother Kathleen, who married my Pathan father in 1959 and lived for the rest of her life in Peshawar on this perpetually troubled Afghan Frontier, for for 43 years...
Another advantage of this book is that while Caroe's classic work is dated by as much as 50 years, Schofield writes from a very recent perspective in time (2003), covering this area's history from the very start, down to its dramatically changing present situation as well - using the relevant maps and illustrations where needed. Thus her writing becomes a story and a treastise at the same time. The histories of modern Afghanistan (from 1747) and the British Indian "Frontier" (now the Pakistani NWFP) are elaborately presented intertwined as they should be, in a single narrative that is replete with the detailed anecdotes and impressions of British and other European colonial administrators, soldiers, diplomats, statesmen, writers, physicians, tourists, educationists, businessmen and christian missionaries past and present, who from 1809 to the present encountered the Pathans in both the Frontier as well as over the border in Afghanistan. These not only bring the book to life, but also present a wealth of valuable social, anthropological and historical information in an extremely palatable and stimulating manner. So this book is very much upto date as far as the post 9/11 reference datum of the current world situation is concerned - and is infact a very useful guide for this new scenario.
The paper, binding and typesetting are also of equally high quality, so as to complete the overall picture of an excellent book.

History is full of the unbelievable and hilarious. Culled from news paper articles the Author puts together a series of short articles detailing exploits related to the the waterways of Oregon and Washington.

One of my favorites, the story of Captian Edgar Wakeman who stole the steamer New World in New York and sailed into the the Oregon Territory. Some other stories include how the North Bend got wrecked at the mouth of the Columbia River, but instead of getting destroyed the tide pushed it across a spit of sand into the bay beyond where it was salvaged, repaired and sailed for another ten years. Or the story of the Chester which ran along the Cowlitz River in Washington and had a draft of only a few inches and would frequently load directly into wagons pulled up beside it.

The author did a great job researching and compiling this. Lots of black and white pictures presumedly taken from news papers of the time adorn this book and make for an interesting read. I think this would be a good book to get children and young teens interested in history, or good supplemental material for a history teacher.

What a wonderful book!! Anyone who likes Alaska at all should own a copy. Even if you are not interested in Alaska I recommend this book just for the sheer beauty of the photographs. Fred Hirschmann, your photographic brilliance is on full display. Suzan Nightingale, your thoughts and essays couldn't be better. This is Alaska!!

Whether you live in Alaska or travel across it by cruise ship or air or some other means--this beautiful book is for you. On each glossy page there lies something for every tourist and local. Rich photos of the common cruise ship sights, from the deep blue glaciers of the inside passage to little Skagway sitting on the hillside, all the the cruise ship ports are captured by Fred Hirschmann's lens. Aerial views of Anchorage, Juno, Mt. Denali--it's all here followed by interesting explantions of life in Alsaka. I originally saw this book in a little shop at the Port of Juno and immediately wanted it, but it was only for display--how happy I was to search and find it here on Amazon! I highly recommend this book--large, clear photos and excellent journalism will keep your memories of Alaska in perfect order and will bring your friends into the bountiful beauty of the land with which you fell in love.

As a rural Alaskan in the Arctic, I think winter is a great time to publish the 29th edition of the Alaska Almanac. It can warm up even the coldest, darkest night with a mixture of facts about the 49th State, mixed in with biting barbs of wit from Mr.Whitekeys, a noted Alaskan humorist.

As a resident of Barrow, I was especially interested in learning at that our small town holds the record for least snowfall in a year ---only three inches in 1935-36. I think I just shoveled that off of our two Husky doghouses last week.

Also that Alaskans consume more ice cream than anywhere else in the country. You wouldn't believe the growing number of restaurants and stores selling all kinds of ice cream in Barrow these days --my favorite is soft chocolate waffle cones from Browers Cafe on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

Meanwhile, Mr. Whitekeys notes that a certain soft drink has a national toll-free number for info and complaints, and that lots of Alaskans call during the winter --no complaints, they just want someone to talk to.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, as it were. Pick up a copy of the new Almanac and get ready for a warm evening of Alaska facts and fun.

As Alaskans dig out from another winter of ice and snow, it is warming to see another edition of "The Alaska Alamanac, Facts about Alaska, with the wacky wisdom of Mr. Whitekeys." (who is a well-known club comic in Anchorage).

This easy-to-read cache of the Alaskan biggest, coldest and tallest informs readers that a full five percent of the state--some 29,000 square miles, is covered by glaciers. And that "Residents of Alaska really do consume more ice cream per capita than elsewhere in the U.S., and that's year round."

As a resident of the Alaskan arctic,now I know why I keep gaining weight, despite lots of lots of snow shoveling and chasing after Greenland Husky Nuna.

The Almanac was started by Alaskan economist Eric McDowell back in 1976, and like the population, has grown considerably since that time. According to editor Nancy Gates, this 28th edition is about four times the original.

She said it is a great reference for folks "Outside" which is how we refer to any place in the rest of the U.S. But it is also useful to residents, who often keep it right with their phone directory.

I imagine it has often been used to settle some late-night argument or bet in some log-cabin bar on a bone-chilling Alaskan evening. So it's easy to think of it as a peacekeeping force on the last frontier.

Pick up a copy and browse through some unique geography, history, population, celebrations, expeditions, and meet some of the characters who somehow manage to survive in this state, from the Arctic shores to the rain forests in the southeast panhandle.

Or as Mr. Whitekeys reports:
"A Rhode Island newspaper once described (the city of) Homer as 'The only place in the world where you can stand in mud up to your knees and still have dust blow in your face."

or
"Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of government employees in its workforce, and only a state with that honor could have a law on the books that reads: 'Se. 44.62.270 It is the state policy that emergencies are held to aminimum and are rarely found to exist."

Enjoy!

Chuck Keim's classic book on Alaska's first Master Guide, Hal Waugh. Filled with stories of hunts, outdoor lore and Hal's own personal hunting ethics, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in Alaska hunting.

This is a really fine & useful cookbook. As the full title says, it features recipes from Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory. Calories are a good thing in the frozen North, so this is definitely not a diet cookbook. That said, there are plenty of recipes which do not put consumers at risk of instant heart attack.

There are a number of real gems in here, including a lot of special breakfast dishes among the recipes, as one might expect from a book representing a lot of B&Bs. Many of them can be put together the night before and just cooked in the morning (Heavenly French Custard, Freezer French Toast, a wide variety of Strata recipes) and most of them would be really great for a Sunday brunch.

My current nomination for the best recipe in the book is Halibut Surprise, p. 134. I've made this for a number of potlucks since I found it. The first time EVERY adult at the meal asked for the recipe. Since then it's just been the ones who haven't already gotten it from me. This is an incredibly easy recipe to make, you can use halibut, salmon, shrimp, or crab (fresh king crab is awesome), and people will think you are an amazing cook. You can put it together before guests arrive; it doesn't need to be hovered over while cooking -- all in all, great for entertaining. Probably worth buying the book just for that!

A lot of the recipes feature local specialities, but only of the sort which can be obtained in local supermarkets in the Lower 48 (I'm not saying it'll be just as good as using fresh halibut or Copper River reds, folks, but it will still be good). Unlike most Alaska cookbooks, this one has no recipes for moose or caribou. About the only ingredient that might be hard to find is fiddlehead ferns, but they can be mail ordered in cans if you can't get fresh.

The author has brought a wealth of information to the hunter and anyone interested in Alaska. Harold Schetzle is a great guide and has also written another book called "Alaska Wilderness Hunter" which is a wonderful book of stories of Alaska hunting taken from many, many years of hunting and guiding.

The Alaska Wild Berry Guide and Cookbook is an excellent source for someone interested in making use of the many delicious wild berries that dot the Alaskan landscape. With almost 50 kinds of berries growing wild here on the Last Frontier, you're sure to be close to one or more that will work for jam, jelly or some delectable baked goods. The book's color photos are particularly helpful. My only real complaint with this book is that I'd almost prefer to have a smaller "pocket-sized" guide (sans recipes) for times when I'm out in the woods gathering berries. This would be particularly helpful for those hikes when you're bringing along a visitor or someone knew to Alaska. I'm looking for a specific kind of berry, but they often want to know the names of several varieties and it always seems to be the very ones that have long-since gone from my mind! Despite this small complaint, I give this book 5 stars and recommend it to anyone wishing for more information on berries in the Greatland!