alaska

Hardcover. NY, St. Martin's Press, 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 432 pages, b&w illustrations. Despite having to contend with icebergs, storms, rogue whales, sharks, hostile natives, disease, the scarcity of whales, the increasing dangers of going farther into the Arctic, and the roving Confederate privateers, Captain Thomas William Williams of Wethersfield, Connecticut wemt out voyage after voyage, even taking on board with him his tiny wife, Eliza, and his infant son and daughter. This thrilling narrative recounts Williams' remarkable career, including a daring rescue and salvage of lost ships off Alaska's coast. Songini has crafted a historical masterpiece in recording a family saga, a true narrative of adventure and death on the high seas, and a detailed and well-researched look at the demise of Yankee whaling. Clean copy.

Hardcover. NY, Soho Press, 1st, 1992, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. A mystery set in Alaska, the author's first novel. Clean, like new.

Hardcover. Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1st, 2003, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. 290 pages, b&w illustrations. In 1896, a small group of prospectors discovered a stunningly rich pocket of gold at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers, and in the following two years thousands of individuals traveled to the area, hoping to find wealth in a rugged and challenging setting. Ever since that time, the Klondike Gold Rush - especially as portrayed in photographs of long lines of gold seekers marching up Chilkoot Pass - has had a hold on the popular imagination. In this first environmental history of the gold rush, Kathryn Morse describes how the miners got to the Klondike, the mining technologies they employed, and the complex networks by which they obtained food, clothing, and tools. She looks at the political and economic debates surrounding the valuation of gold and the emerging industrial economy that exploited its extraction in Alaska, and explores the ways in which a web of connections among America's transportation, supply, and marketing industries linked miners to other industrial and agricultural laborers across the country. The profound economic and cultural transformations that supported the Alaska-Yukon gold rush ultimately reverberate to modern times. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Washington DC, Smithsonian/GPO, 1st, 1959, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, olive green cloth, gilt lettering on spine faded. 490 pages, 3 fold-out plates include 2 maps. Name on inside front cover, otherwise clean.

Softcover. Omaha NE, Union Pacific System , 1929, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover booklet, 44 pages, stapled green paper covers with embossed design stamped in gilt and red. A travel guide for passengers on the Union Pacific, b&w illustrations throughout. Excellent condition, bright, unmarked.

Hardcover. NY, Farrar & Rinehart, 1st, 1939, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a bright, chipped dust jacket with $2.00 on flap. First edition with colophon on copyright page. Chunk gone from dj at top corner. An adventure set in Alaska, Clean copy.

Hardcover. NY, Macmillan, 1st, 1905, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, green cloth stamped in white and gilt, 349 pages, b&w illustrations, top edge gilt. Chronicles the daring explorers who crossed oceans from the West to the far shores of the North Pacific. From the dawn of Russian and European ambitions to the first American and British voyages, the book weaves together the lives, motives, and trials of men who chased a sea of unknowns. It presents a vivid look at discovery, rivalry, and the costs of pushing beyond the maps. Drawing on primary sources, Laut illustrates the fierce competition for discovery and dominance in the fur trade among these intrepid adventurers. Previous owner's signature on front fly leaf, mild wear to top of spine, otherwise a clean, tight copy.

Hardcover. Chicago, Rand McNally, 2nd pr., 1974, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a lightlyworn and chipped dust jacket, 256 pages, b&w illustrations. The fascinating biography of one of Alaska's most outstanding and legendary bush pilots, discussing his high-risk mountain flying, his life, his family, his training and awards, his rescue operations, much more, as well as reflecting on this period of this Alaska's history when Sheldon did most of his work. Endpapers map, no markings.

Hardcover. Boston/NY, Houghton Mifflin, 1st, 2009, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. 80 pages in color. INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR on the title page. Lourie skillfully describes the delicate three-way relationship that exists among the Inupiat of Alaska, the bowhead whales, and the scientists who are there to collect data and study the animals. The Inupiat have hunted bowheads for thousands of years and their very existence depends upon the harvesting of the leviathans. The scientists are there to determine whether the whaling done by these communities is sustainable and not decimating the bowhead population. Using a day-in-the-life format, Lourie follows one particular scientist, John Craighead George, as he goes about collecting the necessary data. The biologist is careful not to disturb the integrity of the harvest and, in fact, works closely with the Inupiat to do what he needs to do. Interwoven throughout this daylong saga are historical information, scientific facts, and cultural tradition. Crisp color photographs on every page provide a lush complement to the engaging, informative text. Young readers will come away with a stronger appreciation of the bowhead whales, the people who both hunt and respect them, and the scientists who straddle the traditional and modern worlds to gather important information. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Middletown CT, Wesleyan University Press, 1st, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket, 204 pages. Composer John Luther Adams makes his home in the boreal forest near Fairbanks, Alaska, where he has created a unique musical world grounded in the elemental landscapes and indigenous cultures of the North. Winter Music, a collection of Adams's essays, journal entries, and other writings is poetic and inspirational and delves into the environmental and cultural awareness that creates his reflective, almost spiritual, approach to music. The accompanying audio CD includes two previously unrecorded works by Adams. Adams's music explores natural phenomena from the songs of birds, to the complex nature of chaos, fractal geometry, and elemental noise. Similarly, his writings explore "that region between place and culture, between environment and imagination," reflecting a philosophy of deep awareness that makes him one of the most original composers working today. Clean copy.