From Booklist
With the "official" closing of the frontier in 1890, the Klondike gold rush of 1897^-98 had the aura of a last frantic grasp at a rapidly receding past. Like the previous rushes, the Klondike attracted a varied assortment of rogues and adventurers. A few struck it rich, but many more endured immense suffering, and some met violent ends. William Shape came from a middle-class Wisconsin family; he was well schooled and had traveled widely in Europe before he left his wife and two children to seek even greater wealth in the Klondike. His well-written journal captures the sights and smells of mining camps, the grind of overland treks, and the personal quirks of the people he encountered. But he writes with a curious detachment and seldom offers insights that could enrich his matter-of-fact observations. Still, the text and his accompanying photographs provide a very valuable record of one of our nation's last epic adventures. Jay Freeman
