Northwest Passages: A Literary Anthology of the Pacific Northwest from Coyote Tales to Roadside Attractions [Paperback]

Bruce Barcott (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994

In this vibrant anthology about the region and itspeople, editor Bruce Barcott endeavors to define the literary soul ofthe Northwest. Spanning two hundred years, Northwest Passages bringstoether writing from such natives, notables, and newcomers as ChiefSeattle, Rudyard Kipling, Jack Kerouac and Sherman Alexie.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Chronologically arranged, this collection of pieces about the Pacific Northwest includes selections by Native Americans, explorers, pioneers, and contemporary writers-not necessarily from the Pacific Northwest. From Bunyan and Kipling to Steinbeck and Stegner, well-known writers with strong ties to other regions are excerpted here. Seattle journalist Barcott includes a number of Northwest writers (Monica Sone, Ursula Le Guin, Ken Kesey), but, unfortunately, he omits many others, such as Ingrid Wendt, Lawson Inada, and Oregon's late poet laureate, William Stafford; his emphasis seems to be more on the Northwest place than the Northwest voice. Libraries might prefer anthologies with more emphasis on regional writers, such as the four-volume Oregon Literature Series (Oregon State Univ. Pr., 1993).
Mary Margaret Benson, Linfield Coll. Lib., McMinnville, Ore.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 329 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books; 1wst edition (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570610053
• ISBN-13: 978-1570610059
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I was looking for, April 23, 2009

By 

Conservatif (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Northwest Passages: A Literary Anthology of the Pacific Northwest from Coyote Tales to Roadside Attractions (Paperback)

The editorial review above faults this anthology for including writers not from or living in the Northwest, and including instead writers from elsewhere writing about the Northwest. I disagree with this criticism. This book is an exposition of place, and is focused on the place, not the writers who live here. If you want to better understand what this place is, where we are and how we got here, this book addresses that perfectly. I got this book because I wanted a better understanding of the region where I was born, grew up, and love so much, and it gave me exactly that.

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome anthology, August 31, 2010

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twillpants - See all my reviews

This review is from: Northwest Passages - A Literary Anthology Of The Pacific Northwest From Coyote Tales To Roadside Attractions (Paperback)

I absolutely loved this collection. Editor Barcott does a great job introducing each era of Northwest writing covered in this book, then gives an interesting background about each author as a prelude to their excerpted work. I now have an expansive list of books to read from authors I encountered in this anthology!

I appreciate that so many disparate authors and subjects were brought together so eloquently here. From Indian creation stories and early Indian/European encounters to life in Seattle in modern times, it's all here. I think the length is just about right also. Too many books labor their point, whereas this one ends just as you've had your fill of rugged individuals and the tough landscape they occupy. I definitely found myself wishing for another chapter from some of the excerpts (such as "The Second Missouri Compromise"), which is what any good work of art should do--leave 'em wanting more!