One of the best resources for historical documentation of native life and folklore in the Kenai/Kasilof area. Historical photographs are included in the book from 1890-1920. A true classic in a special place on my bookshelf. I highly recommend this book to all students of Dena'ina and local history buffs.

This is the collected writings of Peter Kalifornsky, a Dena'ina Athabascan elder who, in order to write the book, first had to study and help create the written version of the Dena'ina language, and then went about writing down all the stories of his cultural language of Dena'ina. Peter wrote the stories in Dena'ina first, and then translated the stories into English. The Dena'ina translation appears on the left pages and the English translation on the right pages. It covers the full spectrum of cosmology of the Dena'ina culture. A great resource for anyone interested in understanding about one of the most successful subsistence cultures ever on Earth.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly, from it's interesting tidbits on historic uses of plants, to the explanations of known toxic principles within plants. The cautions about harvest, use, and overuse are well-stated. The descriptions enhance the line-drawings, and each plant description comes with an excellent photograph, making this a terrific guide for identification of wild edibles!

I just got this book (fourth printing, 1998) in my mail, and I can testify that it's well worth the money. It's a really good field guide to plants of The Far North, be it Alaska or Finland.

In addition to excellent pictures (which really show you clearly how to tell this plant apart from others) you'll frequently run across a sentence that goes something like "So-and-so says in his/her book that it's edible after it's been dried /boiled /whatever, but my taste tests implied ...".

Truly outstanding research and practical information, both on medicinal and culinary uses of these plants, make this an invaluable addition to the library of anybody interested in plants in the Far North.

Great work, Janice!

Doug Lindstrand's Alaska Sketchbook: An Artist's Guide To The People And Wildlife Of America's Last Frontier is a compendium of hundreds of field sketches, studio drawings and photographs celebrating Alaskan frontiersmen, birds, and animals. The text includes a kind of diary kept by Lindstrand as a journal of his wanderings and contacts with the people and wildlife of this northern clime in which he has been photographing and sketching for the last 30 years. Doug Lindstrand's Alaska Sketchbook is a very welcome and much appreciated contribution to both Art Studies and Natural History collections.

I have just recently come across a copy of this book, that is signed by the author/artist. It is also sealed first day issue-20 May, 1978 First Edition. I would like a little more information on what it is valued at today. It costed 15 dollars in 1978. What would it cost today.

Sam's book, written from his cabin 100 miles north of the arctic circle, is a contemporary adventure story par excellence. I'm a recent University graduate in sustainable agriculture now living in Alaska. I appreciate Sam's view of living with the land, not just upon it.

Edge of Tomorrow By Sam Wright Reviewed by Frank Kadish

Few people are able to synthesize their lives from being born and raised in the west, to being a scientist, to become a minister in a free thinking liberal church, to an be outdoorsman and to put into practice his philosophy by combining it with living off the land as our ancestors did. My wife bought the book at our meeting of our group interested in communing with nature. I spent the last three hours reading it in one gulp. It has been as satisfying an afternoon as I have had in many a year.

Sam structures his philosophy and experience with the calendar and the events of the year in his in his cabin just below the Arctic Circle. His wisdom comes thru the stories he tells and the parables that he creates. With his wide-ranging experience in life, his story becomes an adventure of the mind.

Get the book and enjoy.

The Eye Of The Needle is a retelling of a Yupik tale from the Alaskan northwest, with Teri Sloat engagingly recounting and colorfully illustrating the story of Little Amik, a boy who lived with his grandmother in a tiny sod hut on the shores of the Northern Pacific. In this Native American fairytale, Amik swallows an enormous quantity of sea life (including a whale) along with the ocean waters until he is to large to enter his grandmother's house. Grandmother releases the magic in her sewing needle and all that Amik swallowed comes flowing and tumbling out as he finally learns the importance of sharing. A very highly recommended picturebook for young readers ages 4 and up.

This book has delightful and accurate illustrations of thearea. It is an exceptional outline or guideline for a storyteller,and helps students see another culture. The ending can be changed, or explained to children that the author decided to give Amik another chance. The book is a very good introduction to arctic and sub-arctic culture and traditional ways. Every group of students I have read this story to has absolutely enjoyed the story and helped with the swallowing sound effects.

After having just read Gary Paulsen's book Winterdance, I was anxious to learn more about the iditarod race and this book answered every question I could have dreamed up and more including history of mushing and the race, how mushers and dogs prepare for the race, what kind of equiptment they carry, and descriptions of the trail itself. It also has a very large bibliography which gave me a list of other books I would like to read.

This is a great book. The training section helped me with ideas for my dogs, as did the parts on equipment and feeding.

While the sport has continued to evolve since Andy did most of his rivers, he's still set the standard by which few will even come close. His reviews of the various rivers of Alaska are complete. This is a great read for entertainment. This is a dream book for the kayakers of Alaska and anyone hoping to stop by our beautiful state. Many of these rivers have still not been run since Andy and his friends ran them in the 80's. Kudoo's to THE AK whitewater book by which all others will be measured.

After borrowing this book from the library, I had someone give it to me as a Christmas present. Andrew Embick put his heart and soul (and considerable time and money) into this effort, and it shows. He outlines many whitewater rivers for which he has first-descent credentials; in that respect, he must be viewed as the acknowledged expert. One criticism, hopefully constructive: the book doesn't have an all-encompassing map, which would be useful for the reader to get a sense of orientation as (s)he navigates through the book. But overall, the book is a tour de force. I'll never paddle half the rivers in this book; I may never paddle Alaska, for that matter; but the book was a "must" for me. The color plates alone, depicting all the glory of glaciated streams, are worth the price of admission.

Fishes of the Pacific Coast is an excellent reference guide with beautiful full color illustrations of approximately 450 fish. I truly appreciated the inclusion of the fish of the upper Sea of Cortez. Small ecological and historical blurbs are fascinating. The handbook size makes it a must have on your diving or fishing boat.

As a volunteer for the new Long Beach (CA) Aquarium of the Pacific, I needed to quickly learn about fishes of the Pacific coast and how to identify them. This book exactly suits my needs. It is interesting and informative, without being too technical. The color illustrations are beautiful. This is the perfect book for anyone who wants to learn more about Pacific coast fishes.

"Fly Patterns" is an encyclopedia of patterns found effective by the Alaska Flyfishers. It contains both patterns that are well-known to flyfishers from the lower 48 and quite a few patterns that originated in the Last Frontier. Each pattern has a high-quality photograph, a recipe and a short description of how the pattern is used in Alaska. The chapters are devoted to particular types of flies (e.g., streamers, salmon flies, egg flies, etc.). A good, comprehensive index is provided.

Other books of interest for those intending to flyfish in Alaska:
"Flyfishing Alaska" and "Flies for Alaska" both by A. J. Route.

Frank Amato publications recently published a super book that is titled Fly Patterns of Alaska. You can buy it online at Amazon.com. It's a beautiful book and well worth the price. You will also want to tie up some Popsicle flies, which I believe are also listed in the recommended book.