The Stroller's weekly and Douglas Island news., 1922-02-11
ANCIENT BOOKS
 OF MUCH VALUE Historical Library of Alaska Con- iainl Many Volumes of Rare
 Literary Natter

Lletdly MAtllt
 lus doubtful if thorc arc over , score of people In Juneau -or per hans In an Alaska who have a req appreciation Of Che true valuo of th' Alaska Historical Library. Th' books of law. travel and the many sciences may only bo Of use to thos' interested u those branches Of learning ;the many government ro ports enough to nll % library it thomaolvoa- win be of special inter ost to those doing research work bound volumes of all tho carly news papers printed iu Che Territory giv, am authentic. first hand description of lifo In Alaska in tho pioneer dayl and should bc or interest Co every one. The educational and practical valuo of this collection of books and documents is beyond estimate buI this value can mover be realized uu less lho public takes moro .ntercs' In Che library chan it has in Che past
 Several volumes are of extreme In. torcst. not s0 much because of thoii historical Interest which is great
 but because thcy are umQuc museum specimens. Tho most important of these i8 volume entitled. A His tory of LapIand." published in t67i Tho uuo bears Che inscription: "Th, History of LapIand wherein ar, showed Che original manners. habits customs. conlurauons etc.. of chat people. written by John Shc1erus professor of law and rhetoric at up son in Sweden Published at Go, Theatre in Oxon. to bo sold bl George West and Amos Curtc.n' This book was written and pubIisho, over 2f6 years ago. almost two hum drod years before Che Civil War and hundred years before Che Rev0lu
 touary War. 10 is written iu very good English. even according Go om modern standards. though Che word ing is quaint at times and old-iash
 toned lettering and spelling is used .lt is we'll illustrated with drawings made from llfc by @ very good artist These drawings were probably print cd from wood cuts. as it is doubtful if any other means of printing Illus uauons wcrc known at that limo A detailed description Of Loplau' and Iu people is given and. cNccp for One difference in spelling and printing. thIs book would Doe vcr similar Go our modern historica
 other books. almost as ancient are of moro special interest to Alas tans as they are moro closely con uoctod with our early history On. of these. a large book of ongrayings is entitled. Engravings in Couuoc Iou With Che Travels of Sar.tchov These onrravings are Illustrations o scenes in Kamchatka. Uualaska and he Aoutan islands. together witl pictures Of tho people. their villages houses. etc. The volume is pr.nte, i'm Russian and. though not dated was probably published soon aitcI S'ritchoy's return iu tho early par of Che eighteenth century making i from i5O Co 200 years old. Tho cn cravings doubtless ctchIngs on cop per arc works of art and show conscientious attention Go detail am, roaI knowledge of Che country am, ita people on Che part of Che artist though his name is not mentioned iI tlo book
 A collection Of charts bearing th' uuc. "Auas to Accompany Voucou yors Voyage" published about l19' is of moro direct interest Jo us o Southeastern Alaska as theso charu are Che drst made of Che Northwes coast of Che Pacific ocean by a mar really competent for such work They are surprisingly accurate whei one considers Che limited iacihue lat Vaucouvcra command.
 Another large volume containing IG5 otchIurs was published abou II7Sl to accompany Che record o ! Captain Cooks voyage to Alaska ana | Che Hawaiian Islands In 1778-79 These etchIngs picture Che lives o | ho people. with their customs and manners Of liyInc Some arc mad. from drawings brought home hi members of Che expedition. but it i evident that most of these etching were made from secondhand in formation and imagination. as th nhysIognomy and clothIugs Of th Indians arc distinctly Caucasian an' bear uttlc resemblance to Che Ma lives as we know them.
 Among Che more modern docu monts arc Che reports Of Che custon house at sitka during Che first yen of Che occupation of Alaska by th ] Americans. comprising the maniies
 Of an ships coming to Alaska u I1S6S. together with an tonnage reg .stcred in that year, These are onl a few of Che many instructive am. ! interesting books which can be seeI and read in tho rooms of tho Alask ! historical Library and arc for th use of Che public.
 
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