Alaska: Tales of Adventure from the Last Frontier
This anthology of 31 stories chronicling Alaskan life, past and present, includes pieces by such noted writers as Washington Irving, John Muir, Jack London, and Gary Paulsen. Irving describes the voyage of a sailing vessel in 1812; Muir writes about one of his trips to Glacier Bay; London's subjects range from gold hunters to building a fire in 75-below temperatures; and Paulsen tells what it is like to race in the Iditarod, the 1,100-mile odyssey that tests the endurance of both humans and dogs. There is an excerpt from theDawson Daily Newsof May 23, 1900, reporting on the dog nuisance in that city, and an excerpt fromAlaska Magazineon the plethora of carnivorous bugs. A piece by editor Walker, author ofComing Back Alive[BKL Ag 01], describes a man's escape from a sinking fishing boat and his mental battle to stay alive for 27 hours in the deadly cold Gulf of Alaska Sea. Selections from oral histories by four native Alaskans round out the collection.George CohenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved