This remarkable anthology brings together texts from 15 Alaska Native languages with facing translations, and contemporary Alaska Native stories, essays & poems. The book seems to me to be a great service to the native peoples of Alaska, and should be of interest to any reader with a concern for preserving the native literary heritage. An unusual and exciting reading experience.

I was amazed to find a book that looked unpromising turn out to be a fascinating read. I discovered new voices and intriguing ideas from kinds of people I've never met. The oral tradition people seemed to be from a different planet, and the contemporary native writers like Susie Silook and Diane Lxeis Benson read like very sophisticated moderns with a distinct native style.

Alaska Rainbows: Fly-fishing For Trout, Salmon, & Other Alaskan Species by experienced guide and angler Larry Tullis offers a wealth of "user friendly" information about Alaskan rainbow trout, salmon, and other game fish species common to the Alaskan wilderness. Ranging from their habits and foods to optimal fly patterns and fishing tips, tricks, as well as proven techniques designed specifically to capture them for delicious feasting, the information presented is accurate, authoritative, comprehensive, and practical. Eighteen fly plates and a fly-pattern chart round out this superbly presented, tell-all guide for fly fishers interested in making the most their expeditions to Alaskan waters.

Alaska Rainbows: Fly-Fishing for Trout, Salmon, & Other Alaskan Species by fishing professional Larry Tullis is a gorgeous guide filled with splendid full-color photographs and packed with detailed information on how to catch the best fish and enjoy oneself while doing it in the rugged Alaskan wilderness. Chapters cover trout habitats, fly patterns, Alaskan wildlife, planning a trip to Alaska and much more. Alaska Rainbows is very highly recommended for anyone contemplating a fishing trip to Alaska!

Keith sums up the very reason I moved to Alaska in the summer of '98. The book tugs at you like the land does up here. It inspires me to take the path less travled. My only hope is, that I have half the heart Keith does, when I go on my Alaska viking. I am very fortunate, in that I have an autographed copy of the book. Signed by Keith at the 1994 Portland, Oregon Sportsman show. Great man and even better book!

This is a great book on the life and times in Alaska. He has done a great job in relaying his story to the reader. I personal have two copies and my first copy has been read so many times, the pages are falling out. Check it out. It's worth the money and the time for it to come :O)

Galen Rowell was one of the great outdoor photographers and most of his books are full of spectacular pictures of mountain scenery. But if you are expecting a normal picture book about Alaska, this isn't it. Instead this is a look at a place that is full of ambiguity.

The book is structured around John McPhee's book "Coming into the Country". In that book McPhee gives an insightful description of Alaska as a place, and its inhabitants. The Alaskans seem torn between preserving the wilderness and developing it and the extracts contained in this volume capture that spirit. For example, McPhee provides admiring character studies of a number of people who came to Alaska because they just didn't fit in back in the lower 48 states. Even his descriptions of travels in the wilderness have an overlay of the politics of the state, where the federal government, which once owned most of the land, is distrusted by most citizens.

Rowell decided that he wanted to take McPhee's writing and illustrate it with his own pictures. The preface makes clear that McPhee didn't offer a lot of cooperation. In fact he warned Rowell not to overprint his verbal pictures with Rowell's. The text selection was made by Rowell and the pictures included are not directly related to the words but have a close connection to their spirit.

As I noted, this is not any ordinary Rowell book (if there is such a thing). There are far more pictures of human beings and their artifacts then one usually finds in such a book, and I sometimes felt that the pictures were gritty and dark. At first I thought that this was a shortcoming of the photographs but then I realized that Rowell had specifically selected these pictures because he believed that they reflected the spirit of McPhee's words. Oh, there are some grand landscapes like a picture of snow-covered Mount McKinley across isolated Nugget Pond, but there is also a picture of the same snow-covered peak taken across a dark, intruding asphalt highway into the wilderness.

The final pages capture the essence of this book. McPhee describes the role of the 55 gallon steel drum in the Alaskan landscape, and tells how his view has gone from considering them ugly to finding them almost blooming. Opposite these words Rowell has placed a picture of a long line of rusty drums curving sinuously out of the frame into the Arctic Ocean.

This book is more than 20 years old and the McPhee book almost 40 years old. Alaska may have changed since then, although everything I've read about it recently makes me believe that the same forces are still at work out on this frontier. But for a person interested in Alaska this book provides a feeling for the place and its people that has the ring of authenticity.

If you want to see Alaska as a work of art, then I would recommend Art Wolfe's recent book of photographs "Alaska". But if you want to understand how a bright place can still have a dark soul, "Images of the Country" is a good place to start.

"Alaska" is one of those books that, after teh first few pages lets you forget the world around you and fly to other places. His pictures are breathtaking, and it is true : a picture sas more than a thousand words; rowell manages it to tell you more about Alaska with a couple of photographs than 100 professors could tell you. He shows the reader that there is still some pure wilderness out there and that it is worth to preserve it. rowell is someone who loves the wilderness and the beauty of nature and he makes you love it too.

This book takes you through moments in the life of teenagers living in a world that many of us will never understand. You will laugh, cry and just enjoy every step through this book. Some will come to have a better understanding to life in Alaska and others will realize they may have been tricked with an Alaskan joke if they were the tourist. Reading this book makes you proud of the education in Nenana, Alaska and very proud of the students being so willing to share their personal stories.
(Bradley, I am so PROUD of you!!)

I bought this book to learn about Alaska, and I sure did! The short essays were great - I had no idea that people live like that in Alaska. A must read!

Charlie Bradley has written a fascinating book about his experiences in the "Mountain Brigade" in WW2. Through his shrewdness he avoided a mindnumbing GI tour in Illinois and ended up in the 87th Infantry Regiment on the slopes of Mt.Rainer with men training for action in mountainous terrains and in winter conditions. In June of '44 he found himself aboard a ship out of Seattle headed north for "Armageddon", the code name for Dutch Harbor, Unalaska. He would be an essential part of the soon-to-be-born North Pacific Combat School, which would move to Adak several months later. Charlie has written a rivetting account of his experiences, most in the Aleutians. It is profusely illustrated with gorgeous color photographs (amazing how most stood the years!) and his water color drawings. I stayed up late into the night to finish reading it. (OK, I'm biased somewhat. I've been in the Aleutians and feel a strong bond to anyone who's been out there roughing it.)

Captain Bradley, trained for mountain warfare in the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Infantry Division, was sent to the Aleutians to help create the North Pacific Combat School, in secret preparation for the assault on Japan which never came. Although never in combat, Bradley and the other instructors had their own battles, with treacherous terrain, poor equipment, and the worst weather in the world. Nicely illustrated with color photos and Bradleys own paintings. The introduction, not by Bradley, contains one factual error: the 364th Infantry Regiment relieved the 138th Infantry Regiment of the Missouri National Guard, not the 140th.

A gripping tale of survival; a man and his children who saved each other. It is clear that this father holds his children in high esteem as he describes the pain and starvation that his family had to endure. The children are remarkably adept, quickly learning and applying survival techniques. For instance, the oldest daughter, by sheer will and determination, lifted her father up a cliff to avoid being swept away by the strong waves. These children worked together to overcome hypothermia, starvation and infection from wounds and frostbite. It is a book that makes you reflect on your own situation and leads you to ask the question, 'Would I be able to survive under those circumstances?'

This is a great story of survival, the family had a oneness that helped them survive. They knew what to eat and what to drink. It's also a good reference for other sea going people to take heed of there errors at sea and learn. I thank God for them and that he spared their lives.

While many would agree that the Cole clan of Fairbanks knows the story of the Interior, nobody can tell it like Dermot Cole. Cole is able to tell a tale about Alaska like no other Cole can. If you want to get a true slice of Interior life, then buy Dermot's books. His twin brother Terrance is not half bad either.

This book was a wonderful book with plenty of interesting tidbits. I also liked cole's other books including Fairbanks, and Hard Driving.

Anchorage: Early Photographs Of The Great Land is a splendidly produced compendium of historic black and white photography showcasing the Native Americas, landscape, settlement, construction emergences of the largest city in Alaska and the Cook Inlet. From its beginnings as a little railroad town to a thoroughly metropolitan community, Ann Chandonnet has gathered striking and memorable photos enhanced with her informative and engaging text telling the stories of the people who made the city what it is today. Anchorage is a superb photo history.

These early photos of Anchorage, Alaska provide a fine capsule history of the town's beginnings and evolution, creating a paperback packed with image sure to appeal to any who live in the region or to those with a special affection for early Alaskan history. A fine collection of involving images.

Baby in a Basket is a wonderful picture book for children! Based on a true story, it is set in Alaska, during the winter months. Beginning at a calm pace, it progresses to an appropriate level of suspense and excitement for a young child. The beautifully expressive illustrations assist in the interpretation as they set the story alive! Ted Rand's use of color and texture makes you want to run your hand across the pages, and you almost expect to feel more than smoothness. His illustrations are a superb enhancement to a story that ends in celebration! I can't help wondering if it was nominated for the Caldecott Award.

The reader journey's with a caring mother on a trip to supply a warmer climate for the three year old Betty and 6 month old Ann. When all are settled into the back of the horse-drawn buckboard the trip begins. Illustrator Ted Rand adeptly interprets his wife, Gloria's text. The visions one sees and feels as the threesome becomes separated during an accident on the river, are terrifying, exciting and eventually joyous. A must read for all lovers of children's books.