A friend lended me Victoria's book a few years ago, and I am grateful for that. I found her to be such an inspiration. This book has had a profound influence on my life. Her experiences are fascinating, her inner strength is amazing, and her love for the beauty of man and nature is uplifting.

Victoria was a terrifically generous woman. In spite of the fact that she was battling a very aggressive brain tumor over the last year, she gave me the pleasure of her company for an afternoon during a recent trip through Winnipeg. She spoke of a second book she was working on about her return to the North. Unfortunately this second book remains unfinished, as Victoria passed away on May 20, 2000. She was a great lady!

Dear Victoria Yes, I still believe you are an amazing woman. You have accomplished so much and with such enthusiasm and serenity. Your love of the north is so well reflected in your book that It continues to make me dream of the day I will attempt a Kayaking tour similar to yours. I should mention we met at the Chateau Larier in Ottawa when one of your relatives was getting Married. My name if it has slipped your mind is Mark MacNeil. At that time you mentioned about a project you were working on in reference to kayaking tours starting at Pelly Bay. I hope everthing worked out. I long to meet with you again someday to talk about your adventures. I also will be sending the book I have found that is about Inuit culture, the one you had not in your vast collection. I'm also waiting patiently for you next book.

Sincerly Mark

A great adventure and wilderness story. The author displays a sensitivity towards nature and a bit of insanity (good insanity) given the risks involved in the trip through the Artic. If you like to sea kayak you will enjoy this book. If you like adventure stories you will also like this book.

This cookbook is a delight, mixing fresh, seasonal ingredients in surprising but always appetizing ways -- and best of all, using recipes that are not arcane or terribly time-consuming (but do expect to spend a fair amount of time chopping). My personal favorites are two unusual summer dishes, one a fruit gazpacho and the other a hot blueberry soup with coconut milk and lime. Yum! I *will* seek out the restaurant when next I'm in the Pacific Northwest.

See abov

The recipes in this book hold up to the high quality of food served in the restaurant. I have spent many mornings munching on fresh homemade scones, and my palate waters at the thought of the many varied deserts inside. Every recipe is a treasure in itself, and no kitchen can truly be complete without them.

First I would like to thank Amazon for making this fine book so easy to obtain. There are countless thousands of descendants of these, strong, courageous people that now live throughout the world. my son among them, being on a temporary assigment in Turkey. Many thousands more know little of the history of our people. This book should have a particular appeal to these folk. Perhaps by the reading of Mr. Howards book some will be induced to further study and research. It is a benifit to all that seek the true history of our country. These folk were a monolithic type, what happened to one could be an indicator of what happened to the society in the whole. My families have ties to several of those mentioned in this book. As an example, my grandfather was the first cousin to the wife of Louis Riel. My great grandmother was the god child of, Marie Anne Gaboury, the first white woman in the northwest. My fathers mother was baptized by, Father Lestanc. These people are mentioned in this well written book. Thank you, Melvin Beaudry Lynnwood, Washington.

The amazing story of the Metis people whose French ancestors first colonized and controlled most of North America. Louis Riel should have been a National Hero for all Canadians since without him most of the land west of Ontario would have fallen in US hands.

This book is riveting and should be required reading for history majors.

A century ago, North America almost had a fourth nation, Assiniboia. That would-be nation's leader, a poet, religious zealot and one-time schoolteacher named Louis Riel, once was considered a traitor ro Canada but now is being revered and "rehabilitated" as one of the founders of the Dominion of Canada. Riel was "drafted" as leader of the Metis, "mixed blood" children of the fur trade, when Canada was reneging on its promises to these people who carried on the cultures of both European and indigenous ancentry. (Today, Celtic and French folklorists visit Metis in Western Canada and Montana to record unblemished versions of tradition folk music long dead in their original mother countries.) Howard, a legend in Montana journalism and history himself, penned his masterpiece in "Strange Empire." He gets down to the basics of the struggle for Western North America and some of the more haunting passages deal with the pyschlogical effects of such white man's diseases as smallpox and alchohol and their role in subjugating the natives a century or so ago. Riel was hanged for his insurgence, but had he been more decisive in battle, the maps -- and language patterns -- of much of North America would be much different.

I live in this part of the country, I didn't know there was no much great places to stay here! Thank you! I know lots of places to get away! I just need that special someone! :)

My husband and I spent a wonderful two days in July 2000 staying in "The Cabin." at the Guest House Cottages on Whidbey Island. We found this romantic spot in this book. There are so many wonderful places in this book, so I will tell you about the place we stayed to give you an idea of the quality of the listings presented in this great resource.

We stayed in the cutest log cabin you have ever seen, pictures at my site. A complimentary continental breakfast was set up for us on arrival. We loved having our own kitchen and a grocery store nearby so we could pick up needed supplies for a picnic at the beach. There was a beautiful pool where you could lay out in the sun. In the winter you would be sipping hot chocolate by one of the beautiful fireplaces in your cabin. The cabins were off the road in the woods and have queen or king-size featherbeds. The floors, walls and ceilings were all wood. They have river-rock fireplaces or wood-burning stoves, skylights and antique furnishings. The one we stayed in had beautiful stained-glass windows. They really went out of their way to make our stay as romantic as possible. Once you have your key, the cabin is all yours. It is your own private getaway. If you are running late they even offer to leave the key out for you when you arrive.

There was a private deck complete with barbecue and two chairs so you could sit and look out over the pond inhabited by African geese. The surroundings were lush and green and we saw lots of the cutest bunnies.

We also visited a lavender field and brought home a little lavender plant. If you do visit these same cottages, don't forget to visit Deception Pass. In fact, plan to stay at least two days, there are plenty of activities, including hiking and sailing.

I can truly say that without this book, we would most likely have never known about this secret hideaway. So, between you and me....don't tell too many people! This is a great place. Only tell your best friends or buy them this book. I also recommend this book as a wedding present.

The pages are filled with pictures of each getaway and the general prices are also listed for your convenience. I believe there is a new book with updated information, but this is the one I have.

"Weekends for Two in the Pacific Northwest" is a perfect resource for couples looking to have some away-time in a special place. From Ashland to Seattle, the beautiful photographs and detailed explainations are very helpful in planning your gettaway. Prices and aspects of dozens of hotels, lodges, B&Bs, etc. are explored and the authors even give personal oppinons, and suggestions on which rooms are more romantic. I would recommend this book to anyone with a heart for romance. It's a favorite in my household!

Reminiscent of The Twilight Zone and told in both text and graphic novel format, How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found is a surprisingly fun read. The story is quite complex, but the quirky characters help usher the book along. The one thing this book might have benefited from is a character list as sometimes it's hard to keep track of the story. Nevertheless, HtDCaNBF was very satisfying and fun to read.

I was quick to judge this book by its eirie cover. I am a lover of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, but this book intrigiued me from the moment I picked it up. It is told in 3rd person unlimited formatt, written from the alternating views of both twelve year old Margaret, and Boyd, a boy who lives next to a mansion owned by Margaret's family. Boyd is an avid reader of the Ratt comics, which he picks up from the odd little Library in town. They are based on the life of the main character Ratt, who supposedly resides in the creepy mansion next to Boyds house. It all starts when Margaret and her deeply depressed mother Lizzie and her annoyingly hyperactive sister Sophie arrive at the mansion with a for sale by owner sign in the back of their blue pickup.

"...Just one look inside this strange house--that was all I wanted.

"Do you know that feeling of doing something and at the same time of watching yourself? It's like watching a movie but you are the movie. And you're watching yourself talk and walk, but the whole time you're holding your breath and thinking, What is she going to do next? ...

"Scary" and "exciting" were the adjectives my ten-year-old son, Alex, used in explaining to me why he's read 100+ pages each of the past two days--... The book that's got him totally enthralled is HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY AND NEVER BE FOUND. I have to agree with Alex: from the book's opening moments--narrated by twelve-year-old Margaret--we are dropped squarely into an exciting and suspenseful tale:

"Most stories start at the beginning, but I really can't say I know where that is. Is it a falling-down mansion on a small island in the Pacific Northwest, or in the navy blue pickup truck making its way to that mansion? Does it start on a sunny day this year, or on a sunny day twenty years before? Is it with me, or with a young boy who, a long, long time ago, believed he was turning into a rat? I guess the only thing I really do know is where it started for me--in that navy blue pickup heading toward a place I didn't know existed. A place that had already changed my life."

The illustrations are an innovative and integral part of the book. They are snippets of Ratt, a comic series for which there is only one hand-drawn copy per issue. Those issues of Ratt appear regularly and mysteriously at the Island's library--a rather unique institution that carries only unpublished manuscripts, apparently all submitted by the Island's residents:

"Under D was not one novel by Dickens. H had no Hawthorne and F had no Frost. There was no Hemingway or Fitzgerald, no Eliot or Kuo. Instead they found stack after stack of handmade books. Some were typed, some were scribbled, some were printed out on cheap computer paper, some were stapled, some had brads, some were held together with twine.

" 'The unpublished works of Everyman,' exclaimed Mr. Librarian proudly. 'Everywoman and Everykid, too.' "

Boyd, the boy who lives next to that eerie mansion, has long been the devoted fan of Ratt. He and Margaret, who arrives in her mother's navy blue pickup, and the comic book series with a life of its own become entangled in the mysteries of the mansion and of the death of Margaret's father four years earlier. They are surrounded by quirky characters such as Mr. Librarian, Margaret's funny and exasperating little sister Sophie, and their mom, who has been barely coping since her husband's disappearance.

HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY AND NEVER BE FOUND is a haunting and fun find for middle grade readers.

...

This book is an excellent opening into NW Coastal art. It does not address the meanings or legends but mainly how designs are created and build up of elements. Lots of illustrations. Its an excellent reference for the carver or artist wanting to work with the designs (note: no carving techniques etc are discussed; just design but that is enough)

I bought this book during an Alaskan cruise. By the time we reached our 3rd stop, Ketchikan, we were comfortably literate in North Coast Indian art. (Not experts!) I impressed a carver by being able to identify the animals in the totem pole he was carving. Being able to identify the animals gave our trip a richness we would not have had.
But even better, this wonderful volume, full of instructions, gave me the courage to try to draw something and I am NOT an artist. However, we now have a family totem: a North Coast Indian art version of our Norwich terrier. This book was worth every penny. I can't wait until the volume 2 comes out.

I've purchased EVERY book I can find on the topic of Pacific Northwest Coast Native Indian artwork (currently I have over 40), and this is one of the best, especially if you want to try your hand at this type of artwork.

This book contains tons of examples, explanations, and a nice amount of info about the tribes and styles. This is the only book I've found with a section that actually takes you step-by-step through the process of creating some Northwest Coast art! (Note that the recently-published volume 2 also does.)

If you want to try your hand at drawing this kind of art, I recommend that you buy "Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast" by Hilary Stewart as an excellent book for giving you an overview and feel for the art form, buy this book and volume 2 by the same authors for the extensive examples and how-to information, and I also recommend "An Analysis of Form" by Bill Holm, which is the single most in-depth study of the elements that are used in PNWC artwork.

Through well-detailed photographs and drawings, this book provides a nice introduction to Northwest tribal art. It uses examples of two- and three-dimensional works of art to explain the meanings and symbolism behind the animal motifs. You will quickly learn to recognize the ovoid, and S and U shapes that are characteristic to the art form. It also explains stylistic differences between the different cultural groups. I used this book on a trip through the Northwest and it really enriched my experience.

I wanted to dabble in this form of artwork, so starting in the mid-1990's I bought EVERY book I could find on the topic (I currently have in excess of 40). This book was one of the first I bought and it remains one of my favorites. This book is absolutely outstanding, especially for someone new to the artform.

It overviews the native cultures and tribes, provides info about style difference among tribes, covers the components of the art style, and gives lots of great visual examples, including some good basic info about the symbolism of the elements. It is very successful in giving enough detail to be useful without giving so much that it gets complicated or boring.

Regardless of your interest in this artform, whether you just want one book to learn a little or a "first book" to help you get deeply into it, in my opinion this remains the best one to buy.

If you want to do this sort of artwork, buy this book to get a good basic understanding, then buy "Nothwest Coast Indian Art: an Analysis of Form" by Bill Holm for a deeper understanding of the elements, and "Learning by Designing" Volumes 1 and 2 by Gilbert and Clark for more help with how to actual do it.

On vacation in the Olympic Peninsula, I purchased a copy of this book (sorry Mr. Bezos!) because interpreting Haida, Tlingit, and other artists' work has been such a challenge. This book provides amazing descriptions of how to decipher the parts of the artwork to figure out which animal it is, and what the image depicts. The closest comparison is the Renaissance art appreciation class I took in college... and this was much more accessible, and cheaper besides. My mom is craving a copy of this book!

It was a bitterly cold December 26, 1931 when four members of the RCMP approached the small cabin of a mysterious trapper named Albert Johnson. There sole intent was to question Johnson about a complaint made by a neighbouring trapper concerning traps that had been tampered with. But without a word, the trapper fired upon the constables, injuring one. Shortly thereafter, Johnson had disappeared into the bush, thus instigating an epic manhunt that would last close to fifty days, and span some 150 miles.

Forty years later, author Dick North set out to document the story, and, more importantly, try and cast light on the identity of the mysterious Albert Johnson. Relying heavily on eye-witness accounts, North pieces together an interesting, sometimes rivetting story. But admittedly, there are limitations, and in the end, much is left to conjecture.

North concludes that Albert Johnson was more than likely a man who also went by the name of Arthur Nelson, and who for seven years prior to his death supposedly trapped and prospected in northern Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Alway quiet and "non-commital" this Arthur Nelson came and went mysteriously, and exhibited traits quite similar to that of the Mad Trapper.

Although disdained by some--especially women, around whom he evidently was extremely shy--many were understanding of his peculiar loner idiocincricies. But, provided that this Arthur Nelson is in fact Albert Johnson--which appears to be fairly likely--he apparently grew increasingly paranoid and suspicious of people. All of which led people to believe that he was hiding something. And as is always the case, there is much speculation as to what it was.

The author addresses this at the end of the book, but given that there is little evidence to work with, it's left to the reader to decide: was he a murderer, illegal immigrant, or simply a misanthrope caught up in events beyond his control?

All and all, a very interesting book and thrilling read, but in order to get the fully story--supposedly--of who the Mad Trapper was, one has to read Trackdown, which was published in 1989.

Trackdown is the result of twenty-odd years of North's obsessive research into the identity of the Mad Trapper. In the first part of the book, North addresses several theories of who the Mad Trapper could have been, but in each case he manages to uncover evidence that dismiss these individuals.

The turning point in his hunt comes when he was contacted by the North Dakota State Historical Society. As it turns out, there is a small article in a county history stating that the Mad Trapper may have in fact been a man by the name of Johnny Johnson.

Born Johan Konrad Jonsen in Norway in 1898, Johnson had emigrated to the USA with his parent at the age of six. Life in Dakota was a constant struggle and brought the family little gain, so at a young age Johnson reverted to crime. This resulted in several prison sentences before finally in 1923 he disappeared, presumably heading north into Canada.

Initially, I was very skeptical about this theory; to me, there was little resemblence between the three mug shots of Johnny Johnson, the 1930 Ross River photo showing Arthur Nelson and the pictures of the dead Mad Trapper. But as I read on, North did put together a compelling argument, and the more I read and the more I studied the pictures, the more plausable it all became. Interestingly, the Johnson family had in fact been in contact with the RCMP several years after the incident; Johnson's mother, having seen the picture of the Mad Trapper, was certain that he was her son. But the RCMP dismissed this claim, as it did all other such claims, leaving the mystery unsolved.

While North's argument seems plausable, I was still left with a nagging sense of doubt. While his evidence is compelling, it is far from conclusive and could quite easily be picked apart by someone with the time and resources to do so. One way to solve the matter would of course be to exhume the Mad Trapper and take DNA samples and conduct other forensic tests. North, believing that the body would still be in reasonably good shape, attempted to do this; but these efforts were stymied by the locals.

So although North presents a compelling argument for Johnny Johnson being the Mad Trapper, the case is not closed. The myth lives on.

Could NOT put the book down. Was on vacation up IN the Yukon riding on the Yukon Queen DOWN the Yukon River. And probably missed lots of great scenery because was reading this book. Read it in less than 24 hours. What a great writing style and format!!
One, after reading it, should then see the Charles Bronson/Lee Marvin move about it... The book of course gives alot more details and background but the movie is great too.
Reading the book makes you want to go out and buy a bowie knife and build a cabin!

This book has been a big seller for many years... and the inspiration for motion pictures such as CHALLENGE TO BE FREE. No one knew who the "Mad Trapper" was til author Dick North tracked him down -- all spelled out in this and a later book,"Trackdown." You'll thrill to this tale of a powerful but desperate human being who led the Canadian Mounties in an incredible chase through the lofty Richardson Mountains in the dead of winter.

The Mad Trapper was the inspiration for still another book about the frozen north -- MARK OF THE WHITE WOLF, an e-book out of Blue Knight Enterprises in Hyde Park, NY.

Having spent a lot of time looking for information on imaginative & fun (and sometimes luxury) travel with kids, I can tell you that this is a really unique book. It is comprehensive, carefully researched and well written with loads of practical tips. Some 'travel with kids' books might as well just be bland advertising copy, this one really provides good editorial content, with positive and critical comments. It is a pleasure to read and we will use it for a long time. Fodor's should publish more of these for other parts of the US/world.

I loved this book and would recommend it to any family wanting to travel in the northeastern United States. The writers offer tips and reviews on places of interest, resorts, and campgrounds in a wide range of prices. In fact, we have visited some of those places and found a brand new vacation prospect in Lake George which we will be trying out this summer! Definitely one of the most informative travel books on the market today -- entertaining even if you do not go to these places.

I've been searching for a book like this for several years and haven't found one that fit the bill until now! I had a great time reading it - so well written - and got more useful information than I'll ever be able to use in one lifetime! Thanks so much to the writers and publishers!

"Rolling Dreams: Portraits of the Northwest's Railroad Heritage" is a laudable homage to the Pacific Northwest's rail transportation network.

D.C. Jesse Burkhardt's 78 color images (and 12 b&w ones) are sharp, varied, and celebratory.

His grand and dynamic pictures (e.g., "Sherars Crossing," where a southbound container train crosses a trestle over Oregon's Deschutes River) are nicely matched by quiet--and even somber--photos (e.g., "Forgotten Rails," where wildflowers and fog hover above the abandoned Astoria line of the Burlington Northern).

A few of Burkhart's pictures--such as the hushed Oregon snow scene of a stretch of the Southern Pacific railway--would have been far more effective had they been larger.

And a couple of photos are a shade too dark.

But Burkehardt is a talented photographer and writer, and he has produced a fine work.

Out of the several hundred railroad books I own, only a few are returned to time after time. Rolling Dreams is one.

Rolling Dreams is more poetry than documentary. Although its subject is railroads, its techniques represent photography and (in the sense of texture and composition)painting. Rolling Dreams captures the beauty and details of railroading and the Northwest rail environment.

It captures the many moods of the weather as well as the tremendous range of railroading from large and small.

If you want a "railroad book that's more than a railroad book," add Rolling Dreams to your collection...and keep it at close to your bedside table.

For some of us, trains and railroads have an uncanny and mysterious power. The author seems to understand this, and many of his photos capture the essence of this power. Worth owning.