Alaska Books

One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey (Annivers

Sam Keith, Richard Proenneke

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 107 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Must Read 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book. It was delivered quickly and was in excellent condition. A must for any library.

Inspiring and factual 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A fantastic account of this man living in Alaska all alone. Most of the book is basically a diary of day to day activites, but if this is interesting to you, you will enjoy it. He built his own cabin 100% by hand, hunted, hiked, and just immersed himself in the outdoors. Very interesting. Its hard to fathom how he did it all.

What a story 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I was not prepared for this book but it totally consumed my outdoor longing. I couldn't put it down.
Massive impact on my dreams
/PJ

REQUIRED READING 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

THERE AREN'T ENOUGH STARS TO GIVE THIS BOOK. SIMPLY SAID THIS BOOK SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR THE HUMAN RACE. WELL WRITTEN AND EASY TO READ, YOU CAN PROBABLY FINISH IT IN ONE OR TWO SITTINGS. BUT THE MESSAGE OF THE BOOK WILL STAY WITH YOU FOR A LIFETIME, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A WORKER AND LIKE DOING THINGS ON YOUR OWN.
THE BOOK IS A VIRTUAL MANUAL FOR BEING A DECENT PERSON: USE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED, BE SELF RELIANT, RESPECT THE EARTH AND ALL OF IT'S INHABITANTS, LEARN HOW TO BE ACCOMPLISHED AT MORE THAN ONE OR TWO THINGS, WORK HARD, EAT WELL, RESPECT YOUR BODY...I COULD GO ON AND ON.
BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT MORE THAN ONCE. IF YOU DON'T GET WHAT I AM SAYING THEN YOU ARE PROBABLY BEYOND THE INSPIRATION OF ANY BOOK TO BEGIN WITH. IF YOU DO GET IT YOU WILL KNOW WHAT EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN.
AT WORST AN ENTERTAINING STORY ABOUT A TRULY GREAT MAN( SADLY BECOMING FEWER AND FARTHER BETWEEN) AT BEST AN INSPIRING STORY THAT WILL CHANGE SOME OF YOUR VIEWS ON LIFE.

Editorial Review:

To live in a pristine land ... to roam the wilderness ... to choose a site, cut trees, and build a home ... Thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. Here is a tribute to a man in tune with his surroundings who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond.

Into the Wild

Jon Krakauer

Amazon Price: $11.16 List Price: $13.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Anchor Amazon Marketplace: 418 new & used starting at $1.58

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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Regional U.S. -> West
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1228 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good Movie, Great Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I saw the movie before I read the book. Having read "Into Thin Air" before reading "Into the Wild", I was already a big fan of Jon Krakauer. "Into the Wild" did not disappoint. If you have a wandering spirit, this book will inspire you. In our current fallen culture, the fact that there are still those who are willing to venture out on their own personal "vision quests" is reassuring to me. Thank God we still have a few who maintain the warrior spirit in a culture full of couch potatoes and X-Box athletes.

An interesting approach of adventurers psychology through this tragic story 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Krakauer, with his experience of extreme adventures and good understanding of psychology, has done an excellent work of investigation.

Methodically, he allows the reader to better understand this tragic story, clearing alongside McCandless of foolishness and irresponsibility suspicions. He highlights the intelligence and deep determination of an unusual person.

This story just keep triggering questions like "would the kid have been able to clear his psychological issues and find way to better accept of life if he didn't have such conjunction of bad luck?".

He finally teaches us a lesson of understanding and humility. A must read for every parent willing to understand what goes through the mind of a teenager or just to remember one's own youth...

Editorial Review:

INTO THIN AIR, PAPERBACK

Frommer's Alaska 2009 (Frommer's Complete)

Charles P. Wohlforth

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Frommers Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $11.09

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Subjects -> Travel -> Reference & Tips -> Cruises
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An Alaskan Perspective 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

As someone who lives in Alaska, operates a popular Alaska travel website (Alaska.org), and helps people plan custom Alaska vacations, I can confidently say this is the most useful general guidebook to our state. It's more comprehensive, more readable, and more detailed than other Alaska guidebooks.

I think this is mostly because Charles lives in Alaska and updates the book each year. Most travel publishers update their books every couple years and use writers who live in New York or somewhere else. As a result, this book offers details and specifics you learn only by actually doing what you write about--and these are the very details you need to plan your Alaska trip. For example, when writing about halibut fishing in Homer, he mentions the possibility of seasickness. When writing about other activities, he tells you what to bring and wear. Prices and schedules are exact.

Alaska is a complex and unfamiliar destination. Most people don't know where to start when planning a trip. Unfortunately, that's why so many people take a cruise when they might have enjoyed a land tour more--if they only knew how to plan it. That's where the "Planning A Trip" section comes in. It discusses the various travel styles and trip types possible in Alaska and why you would choose one over another.

It contains the kind of insight and authority that come from really knowing a destination. Charles writes, for example, "Studies by Alaska tourism experts have found that many people choose escorted packages to avoid risks that don't really exist." Or, "It's also possible for an independent traveler to obtain some of the predictability a package tour provides. You can reserve accommodations and activities and control your expenses by using a good travel agent experienced in Alaska travel." This is the type of authoritative, insider advice you need to plan a successful Alaska vacation.

This book seems to improve each year--I think because the author maintains a website for reader questions and incorporates the answers into subsequent editions. For example, the book has a section on Suggested Itineraries for trips of different lengths, for family trips, for winter trips, etc.. Itineraries are hugely helpful, because even if you know where you want to go and what you want to see in Alaska, it's sometimes really hard to figure out how long to spend in each place and how best to get from one to the next in a state with limited transportation infrastructure.

In response to reader questions about inaccurate Mapquest information, Charles added a driving times table which sets the record straight on how long it takes to travel the various rural Alaska highways, how fast you can drive, where the best views are, and where you can get gas. Another really useful section is Charles' "Best of Alaska" list. Alaska is so vast, with so many travel options, that this section helps you cut to the chase if know your primary interests.

Two other things separate this book from others. First, it's written from the perspective of someone who seeks out unique and different Alaska travel experiences. Charles writes, "The mistake some people make is to focus only on the largest and most famous destinations." Accordingly, he gives quick coverage to the big attractions you can learn about online or anywhere else and instead gives more coverage to unusual, off-the-beaten finds. Examples include describing a hike near Seward to an old military fort where you can explore underground with flashlights, or explaining how to hook up with a local guide on in Barrow to go polar bear viewing on a Humvee. You won't get these ideas from other guidebooks--and they'll probably end up being your most memorable Alaska travel experiences.

The other thing that differentiates this book is how readable it is. Unlike most travel writers, Charles is a serious author with other non-fiction, non-travel titles to his name. His literary writing style is interesting and fun to read.

I don't really have any criticisms of the book. In fact, if the truth be told, it was Charles' authoritative, honest approach that inspired me when I wrote my own Alaska.org travel planning website. Even today, we keep a copy in our Anchorage travel agency call center for our agents to refer to when helping visitors plan trips to remote parts of the state the agent may not have personally visited.

Editorial Review:

America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series
• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides
• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries
• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

Alaska by Cruise Ship: The Complete Guide to Cruising Alaska with Giant Pull-out Map (6th Edition)

Anne Vipond

Amazon Price: $14.93 List Price: $21.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ocean Cruise Guides Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $13.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The new sixth edition of Alaska By Cruise Ship has been completely updated with new attractions and shore excursions for cruisers to this beautiful state.

Over 400 color photographs and dozens of color maps support the narrative describing this exciting cruise. Comes with a large color pull-out map with inside page references and a mile-by-mile locator system showing distances traveled. All base ports and ports of call of an Alaska cruise are included with comprehensive shore excursion information (with port walking maps) and land tour options for each stop. Extensive detail on history, wildlife, native culture and natural phenomena also are included as well as hiking tips and trail locations. A detailed chapter deals with the diverse wildlife and also includes a special full-page map to help you locate and identify the different species of whales.

Covers details of ports from Seattle to Fairbanks and beyond and draws on authorities from the Universities of Alaska and British Columbia.

2009 Milepost - 61st Edition

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Not yet published By: Morris Communications Company

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Alaska Atlas and Gazetteer (Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer)

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Alpen Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $9.14

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Our Second Copy of This 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We have used our first copy until it is ragged. Because we travel a lot within our state of Alaska, this is a perfect resource to have in the house. A must for tourists expecting to travel in our state.

Delorme "Alaska" Atlas & Gazetteer 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This Atlas & Gazetteer is excellent. It is highly usable and the right scale for my use.

I have used this product in two trips to Alaska. One was by cruise ship up the Inside Passage. It helped me understand the elevations and contours of the land we went through and explored.

Our second trip was by road up the Alcan Highway. Again this product was helpful and educational. The retreat of glaciers are distinct compared to the date the map section dates. Combining this with our GPS made our trip much more interesting.

Anyone driving to Alaska is well advised to buy this product.

Editorial Review:

These over-size maps offer full state coverage of things important to outdoor users, such as back roads, dirt roads and trails, hidden lakes and streams, boat ramps, public lands, trailheads, campsites, and unique natural features. Most atlases have elevation contours.
DeLorme Publishing Company.

Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping: Alaska and Yukon Camping with RV or Tent (Traveler's Guide series)

Mike Church, Terri Church

Amazon Price: $14.93 List Price: $21.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Rolling Homes Press Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $13.17

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Transportation -> RVs
Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Hiking & Camping -> Camping
Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Hiking & Camping -> Excursion Guides -> United States -> Alaska

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Don't RV without it. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a very detailed book that gives a very good sense for the various campgrounds in Alaska. It provides phone numbers for most places, and we were able to call ahead to check availability and if the wash facilities were available and to check hours of operation. GPS locations are also given for each campground. It also lists some points of interest around the area of the campgrounds. This along with The Milepost were invaluable.

Editorial Review:

Detailed routes and advice for heading into the wilds of Alaska and northwestern Canada are provided in this guide for RV and tent campers. This grand tour of Alaska covers in detail the Alaskan Highway, routes throughout the Yukon and Alaskan outback, and the ferry system in southeastern Alaska. Campgrounds throughout the region are listed with pictures, descriptions of amenities, meticulous maps, and contact information for each; campgrounds suitable for large RVs are also identified. Along with important details for a safe trip—such as border crossings, budget planning, vehicle preparation or renting an RV, appropriate clothing, road conditions, and possible wildlife encounters—recreational information on hiking, mountain biking, boating, rafting, kayaking, and viewing wildlife is provided for each destination.

Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2009 (Frommer's Cruises)

Fran Wenograd Golden, Jerry Brown

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Subjects -> Travel -> United States -> Regions -> West -> Pacific

Editorial Review:

America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series

• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides

• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries

• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

Coming into the Country

John McPhee

Amazon Price: $11.56 List Price: $17.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Amazon Marketplace: 119 new & used starting at $2.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A trip around Alaska in the 70's 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I traveled to Alaska in 2006 but lived there in the early 70's. Why I delayed so long in reading "Coming into the Country" I don't know, but John McPhee has taken me back to that earlier day. Both his character and place descriptions are wonderful and make me long for the cabins, the ice break-up, the dogs, the bush planes, and the 55 gallon drums. The Anchorage of today is much changed, but the bush is still there -- Thank God.

A Wonderful Relic 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is a wonderful relic, the last plausible vision of a living American frontier. In the mid seventies, McPhee went to Alaska to do a few pieces for the New Yorker. He met a lot of trappers, prospectors, and "river people" who'd built moss-chinked cabins and whose individualism, gruff hospitality, and happiness he admired. McPhee made a plea for democratic access to Alaskan land. He argued that land far from roads should remain fair game for homesteaders in perpetuity.

It is odd to read an ode to Alaska's wild immensity at a time when islands are being evacuated in the Aleutians, polar bears are drowning, and the permafrost is melting. The question these days is not whether Americans can still choose to live in more or less untainted outback. The question is whether that outback will soon be transformed beyond recognition, not by oil drilling, but by climate change.

What Coming into the Country offers the twenty-first century is escapism and nostalgia. McPhee's account of the political squabbles over the location of Alaska's capital has lost its relevance, but the rest of the book still comes to life. We meet a mix of clannish Christians, proud native people, and prickly bootleggers in the small, dry town of Eagle. McPhee's tale of a man's survival in sub-zero weather after a plane crash constitutes a minor classic of its own.

The book reminds us how powerful the frontier fantasy remains in American psyches. Can it be harnessed as a metaphor? Can the dream of self-reliance on a private patch of woods help motivate us, indirectly, to cut carbon emissions? It has motivated us to go camping and conserve some wild lands even while ruining others. Still, I suspect that as the environmental movement shifts in response to global warming, we may have to jettison the frontier fantasy. It depends too much on a view of nature as more powerful than man. Whether or not we agree with Bill McKibben that we have arrived at the end of nature, we know that everything is responding to elevated temperatures. There is no untouched patch of land left in Alaska. The romance of a homestead sours when the flora and fauna are marching north past the log cabin, driven by coal and oil fires from all over the planet.

Editorial Review:

Residents of the Lower 48 sometimes imagine Alaska as a snow-covered land of igloos, oil pipelines, and polar bears. But Alaska is far more complex geographically, culturally, ecologically, and politically than most Americans know, and few writers are as capable of capturing this complexity as John McPhee. In Coming into the Country, McPhee describes his travels through much of the state with bush pilots, prospectors, and settlers, as well as politicians and businesspeople who have their eyes set on a very different future for the state.

Frommer's Alaska 2008 (Frommer's Complete)

Charles P. Wohlforth

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Frommers Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $7.75

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Frommer's Alaska 2008 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Frommer's Alaska 2008 proved to be as complete a vacation guide as we'd expected from previous worldwide books purchased under this name previously.

An Alaskan Perspective 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

As someone who lives in Alaska, operates a popular Alaska travel website (Alaska.org), and helps people plan custom Alaska vacations, I can confidently say this is the most useful general guidebook to our state. It's more comprehensive, more readable, and more detailed than other Alaska guidebooks.

I think this is mostly because Charles lives in Alaska and updates the book each year. Most travel publishers update their books every couple years and use writers who live in New York or somewhere else. As a result, this book offers details and specifics you learn only by actually doing what you write about--and these are the very details you need to plan your Alaska trip. For example, when writing about halibut fishing in Homer, he mentions the possibility of seasickness. When writing about other activities, he tells you what to bring and wear. Prices and schedules are exact.

Alaska is a complex and unfamiliar destination. Most people don't know where to start when planning a trip. Unfortunately, that's why so many people take a cruise when they might have enjoyed a land tour more--if they only knew how to plan it. That's where the "Planning A Trip" section comes in. It discusses the various travel styles and trip types possible in Alaska and why you would choose one over another.

It contains the kind of insight and authority that come from really knowing a destination. Charles writes, for example, "Studies by Alaska tourism experts have found that many people choose escorted packages to avoid risks that don't really exist." Or, "It's also possible for an independent traveler to obtain some of the predictability a package tour provides. You can reserve accommodations and activities and control your expenses by using a good travel agent experienced in Alaska travel." This is the type of authoritative, insider advice you need to plan a successful Alaska vacation.

This book seems to improve each year--I think because the author maintains a website for reader questions and incorporates the answers into subsequent editions. For example, the book has a section on Suggested Itineraries for trips of different lengths, for family trips, for winter trips, etc.. Itineraries are hugely helpful, because even if you know where you want to go and what you want to see in Alaska, it's sometimes really hard to figure out how long to spend in each place and how best to get from one to the next in a state with limited transportation infrastructure.

In response to reader questions about inaccurate Mapquest information, Charles added a driving times table which sets the record straight on how long it takes to travel the various rural Alaska highways, how fast you can drive, where the best views are, and where you can get gas. Another really useful section is Charles' "Best of Alaska" list. Alaska is so vast, with so many travel options, that this section helps you cut to the chase if know your primary interests.

Two other things separate this book from others. First, it's written from the perspective of someone who seeks out unique and different Alaska travel experiences. Charles writes, "The mistake some people make is to focus only on the largest and most famous destinations." Accordingly, he gives quick coverage to the big attractions you can learn about online or anywhere else and instead gives more coverage to unusual, off-the-beaten finds. Examples include describing a hike near Seward to an old military fort where you can explore underground with flashlights, or explaining how to hook up with a local guide on in Barrow to go polar bear viewing on a Humvee. You won't get these ideas from other guidebooks--and they'll probably end up being your most memorable Alaska travel experiences.

The other thing that differentiates this book is how readable it is. Unlike most travel writers, Charles is a serious author with other non-fiction, non-travel titles to his name. His literary writing style is interesting and fun to read.

I don't really have any criticisms of the book. In fact, if the truth be told, it was Charles' authoritative, honest approach that inspired me when I wrote my own Alaska.org travel planning website. Even today, we keep a copy in our Anchorage travel agency call center for our agents to refer to when helping visitors plan trips to remote parts of the state the agent may not have personally visited.

Editorial Review:

Since 2001, Alaska has had an increase in visitors every year, with 1.56 million in 2006. Cruise ship passengers increased an estimated 4% in 2006.