In the litany of Northwest coast history little has been written about women in the marine environment. This is unfortunate considering the vastness of the coastal waters within which women have operated for years: there are over 800 miles of coastline that stretch from Puget Sound in the south to Prince William Sound in the north. One probable reason for omission is that the realm of the marine environment is "other worldly," "out there," and consequently eludes our focus. Another is the notion that women are naturally more connected to the earth/shore than are men; a fallacy rooted in a patriarchal world-view and one that has limited serious research of women at sea. "Women's literature remains poised at the edge of the water," Pagh writes, "and has not come much closer in this century, to exploring women's real experiences in marine environments." In her book, At Home Afloat, Nancy Pagh rectifies all of that as she examines the roles of women traveling the coastal waters of the Northwest coast. With her careful consideration of travel accounts penned by women marine tourists between 1861 and 1990, Pagh analyzes the spaces that women have occupied on boats and the language they have used to describe their experiences, the natural environment, and their contact with First Nations people.

Her thesis is centered in the ideology of the home. The notion that a woman's place is in the home tends to shape the expectations and assumptions of both women and men regarding the interests and abilities of women on the water. When women step aboard a boat, Pagh notes, power becomes an issue. Traditionally women entered a vessel through the sponsorship of a man and once aboard, operated within a number of limitations. Women were domestically defined, they were thought to be bad luck aboard a boat, and they had less working knowledge and experience of the marine environment than the men who sponsored them. For all of these reason's women found themselves confined within a gendered space. The cabin became their space; this was where they produced the food and tools of comfort, this was the space within which they set about making "a home afloat," this was the only area over which women had relative power.

Marine writers also fell prey to the tenet of women's place. Feminine discourse led female tourists to depict themselves in traditional domestic roles, for they could not construct themselves as an authority on events outside the realm of the home. Hence, they were self-deprecating, often apologizing for the deficiencies in their work. Their portrayals of the natural environment were cursory using descriptors such as "lovely" or "noble," whereas the more familiar human environment was offered in specific detail. They brought their Victorian ideals about home and limiting notions of morals and manners when they wrote about First Nations women. Rather than connecting as women and individuals they considered First Nations women to be lacking in morality and feminine subtlety, making them only a facsimile of a "real" woman. Pagh attributes this to the influence of gendered perceptions and gendered language coupled with the distancing effect of local steamship travel which led to the "othering" of First Nations women. It was not until forms of marine tourism evolved allowing longer, closer contact that travel writers moved away from such a limiting focus.

At Home Afloat has filled a gap that has been woefully evident in women's history. Pagh's writing is engaging and sprinkled with quotes from actual travel writings. At Home Afloat does, however, require careful reading as Pagh winds us through the tenets of feminist geography and post-colonial theory. Her interdisciplinary approach in combination with her scholarly research makes At Home Afloat an important treatise to add to the annals of women's history.

Pagh has shown us that there is clearly a need for serious scholarship in addressing the issues and the lives of women who travel, work and live upon our coastal waters. Perhaps the next step is to look at other types of marine experience and the distribution of power. Questions that we might address are: Does the type of vessel and the needs therein create a different distribution of power? Is power shared more equitably when the demands of being at sea require a partnership of workers? What kinds of restraints do women who work in the coastal commercial sector face and how do they broker power? There are many more question to be sure, for this area of research is just beginning.

This book gives a rare chronological history of how important the beaver was to relationships between France, Spain, England and the United States from the early 1600's of eastern Canada up to the last mountain rendezvous of 1840 in Wyoming. Although very informative, the writing style is oftentimes difficult to grasp, (especially in the first half of the book), and leaves one somewhat mentally handcuffed. I did enjoy the historical information, but reading the same sentence or paragraph several times to comprehend the subject matter was simply aggravating.

This book could also be used to advantage by gardeners in coastal areas of northern California. Lovejoy takes one through the calendar in a Northwest garden, detailing flowers and shrubs in bloom and garden tasks appropriate to the season. She includes lots of recommendations for design combinations and mentions of unusual plants - with clues in an appendix about where to locate them. Ideas on siting and caring for plants specific to our cool rainy winters/cool dry summers are also valuable. The book contains a through-the-seasons planting guide for a 20' x 40' garden, parts of which could be abstracted for almost any border, large or small. This book is chattier and more personal than some of Lovejoy's more recent works, which I find charming. Drawbacks: 1) The book was apparently put together from a series of separate essays, which occasionally shows - transitions are not always smooth from one chapter to the next. 2) Lovejoy gardens in the warmest part of the Puget Sound area, and her plant picks reflect that - it would be nice if she had included more information on hardiness zones, at least for the more marginal varieties. That said, this will join my collection of indespensable references for my zone 7 Pacific Northwest garden.

Very detailed diagrams and helpful pictures. Steps to produce results were not overly detailed yet specific enough to leave out guess work. The intro to each project gives a significant background of the history of the carvings. MAJOR COMPLAINT:Purchasing this book based on the title was found to be very dispointing since very little information or projects were on Totem poles.

In general, I love Ann Lovejoy's books. They're enjoyable to read and when I read her essays, I always seem to find myself muttering, "Oh! that's why that isn't growing well" or "that sounds like something I should try in that spot in the rose garden". But this book is more of a picture book than a collection of essays. It's a lovely picture book, though, if that's what you're looking for. If not, I'd recommend one of her other books, like The Border in Bloom or The Garden in Bloom.

Place plays an important part in the literary scope of the authors represented in this anthology. Contained in this volume is a collection of poetry and prose pieces by contemporary Native American writers of the Pacific Northwest.

Native American literature has been stereotyped as being primitive, naive and exotic. The theme of " The Vanishing American" is the typical literary description given to Native American works. It is the purpose of this volume to deconstruct such myths that have been imposed by outsiders. The pieces challenge the social, political and mores of American society.

The majority of this text contained poetry. I assumed through the title that there was an equitable mix of both but that wan't the case. I found the title misleading and wished there were more prose pieces. For those interested in Native American Poetry for study, particularly of the Northwest, this is an excellent text and I recommend it. For those of us who are more interested in prose, I would say find another anthology specializing in the region with prose writers. In any case this work will open your eyes in looking at Native American writing, in particular poetry, from a contemporary perspective.

This book is written in a journalistic style. I felt that the authors, to an unacceptable degree in my view, became apologists for the miner's union and the man convicted of murder. The authors justly establish that the mine boss and the Pinkerton Agency did little to help defuse the labor unrest. However, the same could easily be said of the union.

The book promotes that it tells the "true story" of this labor dispute and the criminal probe. Yet, I found I had to question the impartiality of the authors, when they omitted or interpreted some details of the case to further their viewpoint. Case in point: during the trial the authors referenced, in very sanitized language, the crude manner in which the accused had spoken of female boss, Peggy Witte. The hateful language actually used, published and quoted elsewhere, would have allowed the reader insight into the mind of the accused. Watering-down and glossing over this testimony in the book, seemed to me to be an effort to shelter the reader from understanding this man's capacity for hatred.

For those interested in the case, I recommend more highly, the book "The Third Suspect." It describes the situation in, what I believe to be, a more impartial manner. It tells the story and accepts the jury verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Colonel Steele, a strict military man, as well as a man of his word, writes his memoirs in much the same way as he lived. His courage and bravery, as well as his honesty, come through just as history has recorded. He did not give praise lightly, nor did he speak ill of anyone without just cause. His word was his bond and not to be broken. A definite insight into the history of that period, as well as into the man himself.

This book provides good, solid reviews of the major public gardens complete with driving instructions, hours, amenities and "best times to view". Oregon, Washington and Vancouver are covered. It would be quite useful for a gardening enthusiast new to the area or to someone new to gardening. Unfortunately, most gardens covered are already familiar to gardeners who have lived here for a few years.