Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on
bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Alaska
by James Michener
In this fictional book, as the characters struggle to survive, the author guides us through Alaska's dangerous terrain and includes highlights of Alaska's history.
Tlingit Tales: Potlatch and Totem Pole
by Lorie K. Harris
Legends of the Tlingit people.
Coming Into The Country
by John McPhee
Coming into the Country is an unforgettable account of Alaska and Alaskans. It is a rich tapestry of vivid characters, observed landscapes, and descriptive narrative, in three principal segments that deal, respectively, with a total wilderness, with urban Alaska, and with life in the remoteness of the bush.
Travels in Alaska
by John Muir
Take a trip to last century's Alaska through Muir's clean, easy-going, enthusiastic prose. He wrote the way he took pictures, with insight, attention, care and genuine feeling.
The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush
by Pierre Berton
Pierre Berton spent 12 years of his life researching in Dawson City. Berton tells the full story of the Klondike Gold Rush in a thrilling and dramatic way that has never been told before.
The Island Within
by Richard Nelson
Nelson's exploration of an unnamed island in the Pacific Northwest and our relationship with nature and the ability to observe and participant in it with admiration and a sense of wonder.
An Alaska Anthology: Interpreting the Past
by Edited by Stephen w. Haycox and Mary Childers Mangusso
An account of Alaska's history with photos and entertaining essays. Topics including Native lifestyles before contact with the Europeans, John Muir's visit to Glacier Bay, the Klondike gold rush stampede, Alaska's fisheries, and more.
Alaska Trees and Shrubs
by Leslie Viereck and Elbert Little
Provides information on habitat and detailed descriptions of trees and shrubs in the state of Alaska.
Nature of Southeast Alaska: A Guide to Plants, Animals, and Habitats
by Robert Armstrong
An in-depth guide to Southeast Alaska's flora and fauna. It provides detailed information about mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, fungi, and plants, along with detailed maps and more than 200 black-and-white illustrations.
Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast
by Hilary Stewart
An introduction into the indigenous art of the Northwest Coast and it's the styles, myths and legends that shaped the motifs, and stylistic differences between the major cultural groups are defined and illustrated.
The Sea Runners
by Ivan Doig
A survival story that is based on an actual incident in 1853, The Sea Runners is an uplifting tale of the human quest for freedom. Four indentured servants journey down the Pacific Northwest Coast after escaping their Russian Alaska work camp in a stolen canoe.
Roadside Geology of Alaska
by Cathy Conner and Daniel O'Haire
Since the first edition was published in 1988, there has been a lot of changes that have taken place in Alaska. The author discusses the latest findings from events that have taken place, such as volcanoes erupting, glaciers retreating, thawing permafrost, and geological interpretations that have changed.
Guide to the Birds of Alaska
by Robert Armstrong
In the new 6th edition, this guide to the birds of Alaska includes more than 900 full-color photos, 22 new species, name and systematic changes made by the American Ornithological Union, updated status and distribution charts, map of Alaska's six biogeographic regions, and much more.
Guide to Marine Mammals of Alaska
by Kate Wynne
This book covers all 29 marine mammal species of Alaska. Each whale, porpoise, dolphin, seal, sea lion, walrus, sea otter, and polar bear is described and illustrated. Color photos and surface profile drawings show all Alaska marine mammals and compare similar species, and color range maps show distribution.
Alaska's History: The People, Land and Events of the North Country
by Harry Ritter
This is a small, easily readable "digest" of Alaska's history. It is great for a quick overview and it is a good size for tucking into a suitcase or reading on a plane.
