The Reader's Companion to Alaska [Paperback]

Alan Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1997 | Series: Reader's Companion to Alaska

The Alaskan frontier is revealed at its most inspiring and unforgiving, through the eyes of its awestruck visitors. An enraptured John Muir first glimpses Glacier Bay; Jon Krakauer marvels at the sight of a grizzly’s footprints in the snow; Erma Bombeck comments on the “cruise from hell,” and more. Map.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?The 28 essays in this compilation are grouped geographically and are briefly introduced by the editor. Beginning with John Muir's first sight of Glacier Bay in 1879, the mostly autobiographical accounts provide a fascinating picture of the area and the people who visited, explored, or settled there. Contributors include Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Charles Kuralt, Ernie Pyle, John McPhee, Jon Krakauer, and many lesser known but equally perceptive writers. Recommended for YAs interested in wilderness exploration.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

YA-The 28 essays in this compilation are grouped geographically and are briefly introduced by the editor. Beginning with John Muir's first sight of Glacier Bay in 1879, the mostly autobiographical accounts provide a fascinating picture of the area and the people who visited, explored, or settled there. Contributors include Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Charles Kuralt, Ernie Pyle, John McPhee, Jon Krakauer, and many lesser known but equally perceptive writers. Recommended for YAs interested in wilderness exploration.
(School Library Journal )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; 1 edition (April 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156003686
• ISBN-13: 978-0156003681
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #468,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Reader's Companion to Alaska, September 8, 2000

By 

Joy A Bergey (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reader's Companion to Alaska (Paperback)

This is a marvelous collection of essays written about life and travel in Alaska during the past 100 years. It has lots of well-known contributors: John McPhee, Ann Morrow Lindburgh, John Muir, Charles Kuralt, et al. But almost every piece, even from the most obscure writer, had me mesmerized. Perhaps the most haunting tale was a reprint of the diary entries from a man known only as "V. Swanson," who perished in a cabin in the wilderness in 1917.

I was fascinated by the stories of daredevils doing unbelievably brave and crazy things: climbing through ice caves buried within glaciers where the climbers literally had to inhale in order to squeeze through, knowing a shift in the ice could kill them all at any moment...climbing the face of Denali in winter, losing toes to frostbite...coming face to face with a grizzly who smashed in the window of a tiny cabin. Being decidedly NOT a daredevil myself, I would get most of the way through each of these stories scratching my head as to the motivation of these people. Generally, by the end of each story, I understood what made them tick. Reading these essays has made me feel life in Suburbia is just a little too boring, too timid, too soft.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really whets your appetite, October 23, 2000

By 

Bill Staley (Santa Monica, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reader's Companion to Alaska (Paperback)

The first couple of stories are the least fun. After that, it's a great compilation. The five-page diary of V. Swanson is worth the price of the book - and as affecting as any Robert Service poem. The compilation is good enough that I have tried to find some of the excerpted books, and will look for more of them. (John Haines's book was pretty good. A co-worker enjoyed it, too.) The acknowledgments at the end are useful.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly an excellent companion, July 5, 2006

By 

A. C. Seligman (New York City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Reader's Companion to Alaska (Paperback)

I bought this book to read while on a two-week trip to Alaska. Of course, what with all the sunlight and all the things to do, I did very little reading. But it's no reflection on this book, which provides a wonderful assortment of perspectives on a truly unique place. One aspect I particularly liked was that the selections spanned over a century and thus gave a good historical perspective. (Though stylistically, the earliest ones can be the toughest reads.) It also did a good job of covering the vast geography of Alaska.

The only downside is that Alaska continues to change rapidly, experiencing rapid economic and population growth, not to mention the effects of global climate change, so I would love to see what some very recent writers have to say.