The Last Frontier: Incredible Tales of Survival, Exploration, and Adventure from Alaska Magazine [Hardcover]

Alaska Magazine (Author), Jill Shepherd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

The best writing from 65 years of Alaska magazine.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Taken from the pages of Alaska Magazine and its predecessor, The Alaska Sportsman, these stories represent 67 years of work by Alaskan writers. The tales are as diverse as the writers themselves, ranging from a memoir piece by a nurse who managed a hospital in Barrow in 1921 to a present-day account of a bear-watching trip to Mount Katmai by mystery writer Dana Stabenow. One chapter recounts the exploits of the 97th Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, an all-black unit that helped build the Alaska Highway in 1942-43. Another tells the frightening tale of a man trapped beneath a capsized fishing boat in the Gulf of Alaska. Selected for their clear depiction of Alaska, past and present, the 59 stories are accompanied by reproductions of Alaska Magazine covers dating from 1935 to 2002. A noteworthy addition to any travel collection owing to the unique nature and diversity of the material. Mary V. Welk, Chicago
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

These 58 stories first saw publication in Alaska Magazine (or its predecessor, The Alaska Sportsman) between January 1935 (the first issue) and March 2002. These mostly first-person accounts tell of wolf packs in the wild; hunting for gold, walrus, salmon, moose, and bears; life among the Inuit; trapping foxes with the help of Eskimos; and the killing of grizzly bears by Koyukon Indians. Others discuss long summer nights where it never really gets dark, dance-hall girls, hiking trails, rock and snow avalanches, surviving an attack by mosquitoes, and an ascent of Denali by dogsled. Environmentalists may be upset by some tales in which the writers boast of killing animals, but the stories, overall, are pleasant reading. The book includes 16 pages of magazine cover illustrations. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585745855
• ISBN-13: 978-1585745852
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,326,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tame and Terrifying Tales, May 24, 2004

By 

MXS (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Frontier: Incredible Tales of Survival, Exploration, and Adventure from Alaska Magazine (Hardcover)

I bought this book for stories about fishing, hunting, trapping, wilderness travel and "white knuckle" adventure. What I found was a book that covered a wide variety of topics, all relevant to Alaska but in some cases a little "tame" or mundane for the typical adventure reader.

So, as is always the case, whether or not you'd like this book depends on your particular interests. I give it a high rating because it has something for everybody. In fact, the book contains almost 60 stories and if you find only 10 that you really enjoy the book is worth buying. I also rated it high because while every story is not a "gripping" adventure thriller, many of them are, and others are informative, entertaining or interesting in other ways.

Among the more "riveting" stories are two about men surrounded or pursued by wolves; one about researchers on a frozen lake during an earthquake; one about a fisherman caught under a capsized fishing boat and one about a daring float plane rescue of men stranded in a deep canyon river. There is the obligatory "avalanche" story and another about a raging walrus, and several "big fish" stories.

One or two stories deal with the psychological effects of prolonged isolated, wilderness living. Another, and one of my personal favorites, is a unique and revealing story about crime and punishment in the bush. It is entitled "Of Traps and Treasures--Klutuk."

Another story, "My Sunset Moose" deals with the realization that time changes everything, and that for better or worse, change must be accepted. Another, "A Trapper Leaves the Country" deals with the same subject, in the same somber way, but in a different context.

But my single favorite story is "A Few Mosquito Bites." I believe that any man or woman or any child old enough to understand simple language would enjoy this story about a man, his hybrid wolf-dogs and life in the wilderness. In fact, it would be worth buying this book just to get this story.

But please don't think that every story is about men going hunting or fishing, or getting killed or maimed in the woods! Many are written by women about the extraordinarily tough and determined women who were attracted to life in the the world's last great wilderness and last free country!

Lots of stories, lots of fun, easy reading. Recommended.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Collection of Stories, February 20, 2003

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Frontier: Incredible Tales of Survival, Exploration, and Adventure from Alaska Magazine (Hardcover)

"The Last Frontier" is an interesting collection of feature stories that originally appeared in "Alaska" magazine from 1935 until the present. They were chosen by the current editors of the magazine. The subject matter is quite varied, featuring outdoor adventure tales, life among the native people, wildlife exposes and much more. The stories are as varied as the people who inhabit the last great American wilderness.

The caveat I would note for anyone interested in reading the book is that most of the stories are quite short, and because they were published for a then-contemporary audience, someone not familiar with local history or geography might sometimes get lost in the narrative. Also, "Alaska" started out as a sportsman's magazine, so a lot of the early stories are about hunting and trapping, which some people might not enjoy.

Those cautions aside, "The Last Frontier" is a decent read for those who likes outdoor adventure stories.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, March 18, 2011

By 

RobG - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Last Frontier: Incredible Tales of Survival, Exploration, and Adventure from Alaska Magazine (Paperback)

I truely enjoyed this book. I was somwhat reluctant to purchase this book because I usually do not like short stories. This book though pick some of the best stories that Alaska magazine has provided in the past. It has a plethera of different topics and all are very good.