A perfect title. Great recipes AND extra little stories about the recipe's history or special ingredient. It's what makes a good recipe beloved. You can almost see Ruth Allman in her kitchen making her sourdough soft ginger cookies with the wind howling outside. It makes me think these recipes were handed down within my own family. Focus is on ingredients that travel and store well and those that suit Alaska's climate: lemons, cranberries, prunes, and pumpkin in winter and oh those fresh berries in summer.

I received this cookbook from a friend several years ago and it has been in continual use since then. The recipe selection is not exhaustive, and that's the good part. You don't get lost in all the recipes, but this book contains some gems. The Vagabond Blues Blueberry Coffee Cake is one of my favorites with its satisfying lemon-ricotta cheese filling. The author includes some basic recipes (e.g., rhubarb pie, lemon meringe pie, and lemon squares) that are the best I've tried. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves baked goods. Ms. Eppenbach, I wish you would write another.

This is a very well-written look at what was the largest financial organization in Alaska. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in economics, economic history, and finance, especially oriented around Alaska, the northwest US, or America in general.

"Bear Man of Admiralty Island" is an extremely interesting and detailed study of a true American character, Allen Hasselborg. The stark, simple life Hassleborg lived for many years, in a remote, beautiful, wild, and dangerous place, makes the likes of Thoreau, Burroughs, Dillard, and the many other part-time shack dwelling, nature praising authors seem like commonplace pretenders in comparison. Where they wrote about life in the woods, he really lived it, and the details are fascinating. Were it not for Howe's research, I'm sure we'd never know about Hasselborg's life, and were Hasselborg alive today, I'm sure he wouldn't give a gall-dang anyway!

In a refreshingly original western voice, Stephen Reynolds tells his life story. As a game warden, he explores the wonders of wild, untamed places such as the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico, and the Brooks Range and Yukon Delta of Alaska. He meets people who use the land to live and people who live to abuse it. His is the heritage of a boy raised as a hunter, drawn to the excitement of the kill, but who experiences transform him into an outspoken protector of wildlife. Yet, this is no sermon or manifesto. Stephen Reynolds offers adventure, spiritual change, and transformation - but no easy answers. B&W illustrations.

This is a quietly beautiful and fascinating story--a work of scholarship and a work of love. Joanne Mulcahy has written a stunning book about Mary Peterson, a remarkable woman, and about the cultural revival that both Mary and the author played crucial roles in bringing about. It is something few Americans know anything about--and all of us should.

I picked up a copy of Lynn Schooler's book after skimming over the back cover, where the words "Alaska", "outdoors" and "Michio Hoshino" grabbed my attention. As a working photographer who grew up in Alaska (my present location is in Maine) I didn't hesitate to buy this book on the spot, even though I had never heard of it. I'm glad I bought it, for this is one of the best books I've read in awhile on ANY subject, and I do read a lot.

Yes, the book is about living Alaska, communing with nature, and wildlife photography, all of which interest me a great deal. But "The Blue Bear" is about a great deal more than that, touching on themes of friendship and heartbreaking loss, grieving and healing, insecurity and inspiration, hard work and personal reward...in short, an exceptional story of a man trying to find his way in the world and to understand his place in it. It is so well written and vividly presented that it goes beyond merely making you feel as though you were there; I think Lynn Schooler's gift (one of many, apparently) is making people feel almost as if they have met the people he writes about, visited the places he describes, and experienced along with him some of the joy and awe of nature, as well as the periods of pain, loneliness and isolation he so openly discusses in a quietly melancholic way.

The book is an interesting mixture of all of those aforementioned elements, sprinkled with interesting forays in Alaskan biology, history, culture, oceanography, the ups and downs of running a guide service, and the challenges, rewards, and hardships inherent with living in a place like Alaska. "The Blue Bear" is a book that defies categorization in many ways because it seems to be about so many different things, but Lynn Schooler writes with a clarity and depth of perspective which prevents the book from seeming trivial or glossed over. Some people are not patient with books which plunge into a section or chapter that may or may not relate directly to the underlying narrative thread. I for one do not mind these "offshoot branches" in books, so long as they hold my interest, as is the case with this book. A casual reader might think for a moment that Schooler is merely grandstanding and showing off his vast knowledge of his subjects, flexing his outdoor experience and intellect....but look just a bit deeper.... it becomes readily apparent that this is a writer who is unafraid of questioning himself or freely admitting that he is not always correct, who openly acknowledges and discusses his own faults (and we all have them) in a candid and refreshing way.

Reading this book also made me wish that I had the opportunity to meet Michio Hoshino, the late wildlife photographer whose work is respected worldwide. This is another testament to Lynn Schooler's writing. In all probability, my trails may have intersected with Michio's at different times during my years in Fairbanks while attending UAF and working on photography symposiums as a volunteer, but sadly, I never had the chance to meet the man whose work I admire very much, and worse yet, I never will. Here again, Lynn Schooler succeeds in relating his personal accounts and anecdotes of his time spent with Michio, a man who seemingly befriended just about everyone he ever met while bringing out the best in people and setting an inspiring example of living life to the fullest.

If you are even remotely interested in any of the topics or issues I have touched upon in this review, don't hesitate to buy a copy of this book. I'm betting that something in "The Blue Bear" will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

This was one of the first Alaskan books I read when I came to the interior of Alaska in 1982. The author kept me spell bound with the history and personalities of the Gold Rush in the circle mining district. Besides the lore of gold this book is about a true life dog sled chase over mountain summits in the dead of winter for a character which could be described as a gentleman, a gold rush Robin Hood. I wanted so much to share this adventure with others but my copy was stolen and the book has been out of print. This is a cat and mouse story with lots of action and could be made into a wonderful movie. I so much wish to read it again and pass it along to all who venture to Alaska and the interior.

I live in Seattle, WA and this book contains tons of useful info on all the resorts within a day or two drive. I particularly like the write-up on Mt. Baker and the yearly legendary Banked Slalom Event. George Dobis, owner of Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop, is definitely a must visit if ever in the town of Glacier, WA (17 miles from the Baker ski area). Bring him some Coors beer and you will be friends for life! Great Book Jimbo and Sean!

Having married into a commercial fishing family in early '50's and fished among and on many of the style boats illustrated here, I appreciate Mr. Denton's love for the boats and the sea. He has done a wonderful job . . . . would like to see more of his paintings. Enjoyed Clem Tillion's foreword, too. . . . these gentlemen know the Alaskan fishing industry.

This author signed copy has been in my library unread for around 8 years. I regret to say I dont remember Evelyn B. Shore because if I could talk to her now there is so much i would like to say.
The book starts out with her and her 4 sibling and their parents trapping in the remote areas of the Alaska during fall and winter seasons for a decade. She grows up knowing nothing but survival and hunting. The simple fun she desribes having with her siblings make me wish I were there. She was the greatest of women in her capabilities. Her driscription of the Northwwest fills my soul. The added photos are great in seeing what it must have been like.
This was a great book I would reccomend to anyone who considers themselves a survivor or who would enjoy the way life use to be.