Customer Reviews

Alaska: A History of the 49th State

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I've lived in Alaska 21 years and found this a frustrating book. It was chocked full of information, but uneven. Although a second edition, it was rife with pathetic typos and mispelled names. The authors deal in authoritative (perhaps excruciating) detail with political haggling for landmark rulings such as the Native land claims and authorization of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Yet they omit any reference to arts, wildlife management or the way people's living conditions have changed. As examples of this patchy approach, they tell us exactly how many barrels of oil various wells produced in their early years, but never tell us how many Alaskans died in the 1964 earthquake. Also, the second edition is now sadly dated. This is a useful book, but it is about the Alaska of the politicians and fails to convey a sense of The Great Land and its pioneers.

Although I am not from Alaska, nor have I ever visted it, I found this book very enjoyable. I was looking to learn more about the history of Alaska and boy did I. This is a big book and it provides alot of information from the prehistoric era right up to the late 20th century. I would recommend it to anyone looking to get a feel for the history of this very interesting state.

The original version of this book was published by Eerdmans in 1979, and is now something of a collector's item. The 1994 update picked up 15 years of new history, but now another 15 years have passed without a new edition. Of course, the early history has not changed - just our perspective on it.

The best feature of the book is the great land that is its focus. Alaska's past and present is so different from other states that this historical study will be fascinating to most readers. It is more of a political and economic history than a social or natural history. The book will appeal primarily to those interested in adding to their understanding of the various powers that ruled the wild region and to those intrigued with the process of setting up a new state and resolving complex land claim issues.

The authors have included an excellent collection of historical drawings and photographs, though the reproduction quality is not the best. The complete footnotes will aid scholars, as will the statistical and historical information in the appendices. No single work can tell the complete story of Alaska. This one would be an excellent addition to any collection. It is very readable, insightful, and accurate.

This is an excellent overview of a rich and varied history of Alaska. The end of the book is not as up to date as one would hope, and an updated version is overdue. Claus Naske gives a full and fascinating account of the early development, of the 49th State. Many wonderful photographs are included from the author's personal collection. Despite its shortcomings this book is worthwhile. However, a new edition covering the period from the late 1980s to the present would make this volume far more relevant and complete.

This book could be so much better if the authors had decided to write about the truth. They paint a false picture of Alaska in the first chapters. I live in Alaska and can not imagine why or how they could devote such a small portion of the book to Native Alaskans and spend so much time discussing the wonderful things Russians did in Alaska. One statement made was that the Russians tried to stop acts of slavery in which Native people were engaging. The fact is that the Russians enslaved and killed many Native people! There are much better books out there than this one.

If this is the book you read to learn about Alaska then you didn't learn much. I notice in both editions that there is no mention whatever of the Aleut Evacuation...the what, you say? Yes, the forced evacuation of the Aleut people (no I am not Alaska Native) by our government in the name of security for which George I had not one word of apology when he expressed regret to the Japanese-Americans for their internment. By all means, see the film "Aleut Evacuation", Procuders Michael & Mary Jo Thill, Gaff Rigged Productions, Girdwood, Alaska. Co-produced by Dimitri Philemonof, Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Assoc, Inc. 1992. You may have to get it from the Anchorage Museum of History and Art but this history that has been deliberately supressed by our government must be known or your study of American History is incomplete.