A good old fashioned romance. Runaway bride disguises herself as a young man (complete with a mustache that doesn't match her hair). Janice Trent goes to Alaska after her childhood friend, Bruce Harcourt, tells her its no place for a girl. Enter the Samp Sisters with their melt-in-your mouth waffles that make even an Alaskan winter bearable. A marriage of convenience, a bevy of murder suspects, and a shipwreck; there aren't many plot lines that this book leaves out. I've read my copy until its fallen apart. It was first published in 1930 but its timeless Loring.

This book is about personal growth of a young woman who is a preacher's daughter and her experiences while she's in Alaska. After meeting the author of this book, I was compelled to read it. The book was entertaining. It tells a great personal story about the author's life, and how her outlook on life and religion have melded with her experiences.

This book offers fairly complete ride and trail assessments of some popular and not-so-popular trail rides, mainly in SouthCentral Alaska. Topo maps coincide with trail and ride descriptions, although they could show a bit more detail. There are not many books on the market on Alaska riding possibibilities, although there are some new Alaska web sites appearing, so having this book as a resource would be a good idea.

Good photographs, but these alone are not adequate to allow identification of many of the species described. Since most distinguishing characteristics of related species are described in terms of "less than" or "more than" the species photographed, and since you often can't see those characters in the photograph, it is often difficult to use this field guide to distinguish between related species. The key is only to the family level

Adolph Murie was a naturalist who spent most of his career, and most of this century working in Denali park in Alaska. I heard about him from the tour guides while taking the bus tour through the park. He is their paton saint. The book tells various stories about the various animals Murie studied. It wonderfully captures the sense of that great park and the wildlife that dwells within. After reading his book, I'm inspired to make my next trip to Denali a camping trip where I sit on a high ridge with my binoculars and camera and watch.

--Dan Arias

Self-created prophets, 250 pound sled dogs, murder, astral travel, friends, foes and crazies: This book has it all. A real delight for anyone who lived in Fairbanks in a cabin in the deep winter. Accrurate enough to be real (in a way), a strange plot, wonderful characters.

This is a great book to have along on any West Coast dive, settling with ease the inevitable post-dive "what was that" arguments. Comprehensive and informative without being unnecessarily technical, and compact enough to bring along.

Bruce Roberts is one of the best lighthouse photographers working in the U.S. today. In this book, he and his partner Ray Jones give you an excellent photograph of each lighthouse featured, a short historical story from Jones and directions of how to get to the lighthouse. Lighthouse lovers could scarcely ask for more.

I live in interior Alaska and have lived at a gold mine myself, and the story told here is not only interesting, but very true to life. I found it an easy read, an enjoyable story, and a book I know I will keep on my shelf and read again. Otis shares his first-hand view of the life of a miner, and tells his story with all the ups and downs he encounters with a sense of humor. Buy two copies, you'll want to share this one with a friend.

"People Of The Tongass" presents a compelling history of the battle for the heart and soul of, Tongass National Forest, in Southeastern Alaska. The authors derive their living from the great, temperate rain forest, thus; a pro-forestry bias. It seems Consanguineous to the bias one has for a wood framed house over one of plastered straw. Beset by litigious 'outsiders' and Washington 'insiders' the forestry workers depicted in "People Of TheTongass", nonetheless, emerge as a wholly desirable -if uncertain- component for the continued health and prosperity of the region.