The Oceanside History of Alaska, by Mike Coppock

The Oceanside History of Alaska, by Mike Coppock A history of Alaska’s seaports settled by fishermen, gold seekers, Scandinavians, Native peoples, and Russian trappers. It is a time of a violent history as these diverse people carved their own isolated world from forests, cliff faces, and raging seas. This is a tale of wild men…

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Caught in the Rush, by W. Mace Brady

Caught in the Rush, by W. Mace Brady As the depression of 1893 worsened, many began seeking a new life. By 1895, hundreds of banks and thousands of businesses had gone under. As the stock market collapsed, jobs became scarce, and the value of the dollar declined. In 1894, Bill Schooley, with two childhood friends,…

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Answering Alaska’s Call, by Linda Fritz

Answering Alaska’s Call, by Linda Fritz Milo Fritz always dreamed big, ever eager to push the boundaries of what was considered possible. In 1940, the young Columbia- and Duke-educated eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist and his wife Betsy, an RN, leave the familiar comforts of Milo’s hometown of Pelham, New York to begin a…

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Young Men Go North, by Joe Upton

Young Men Go North, by Joe Upton “I went up on the Star of Alaska in 1918.” It was 1965 and an old timer was spinning a tale for 18-year-old Joe Upton. Of sailing up from San Francisco to Alaska’s remote and austere Bristol Bay aboard a square-rigged ship loaded with Chinese cannery workers, Norwegian…

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It’s Always Uphill from the Dock, by Ann B. Irish

It’s Always Uphill from the Dock, by Ann B. Irish Here is a look at the Puget Sound islands throughout history—the San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island, Bainbridge and Vashon Islands, and many others. Featured are the people who have come to the islands: Native Americans, explorers, entrepreneurs, settlers and visitors. We learn of the Native…

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University Ghost Story, by Nick DiMartino

University Ghost Story, by Nick DiMartino Dr. Veronica Glass, professor of English literature at the University of Washington, does not believe in ghosts. She’s trying to teach a course on the Victorian ghost story and having trouble with a couple of her students because of it. Matt Braddon, her new tenant, has returned to Seattle,…

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Ho’kwat, by David Hooper

Ho’kwat, by David Hooper John Williams, an aging Englishman, recounts his adventures from the early 1800s, which include his service as a young Royal Navy officer at the Battle of Trafalgar and a traumatic shipwreck at sea. He becomes a British spy and embarks on a voyage to the Columbia River, which ends with the…

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Hardship Alaska, by Donald Proffit

Hardship Alaska, by Donald Proffit Some memories of his two years of alternative service as a Vietnam-era conscientious objector continue to haunt Donald Proffit, aka Buzz, in unresolved conversations and partings over dinners and by front doors, in beds and at bars. Others, however, have been exorcized completely, leaving him with a better understanding of who…

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Voyage of the Eclipse, by Erik T. Hirschmann

Voyage of the Eclipse, by Erik T. Hirschmann Spring 1802, the apex of the lucrative Pacific maritime fur trade. After troubled encounters in the South Pacific and Hawai’i, the crew of the Boston brig Eclipse gamble their lives on the Alaskan coast amid furiously competitive English and American ships, Russian fur hunters, and hostile Tlingit…

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Writing on the Edge, by David A. James

Writing on the Edge, by David A. James Writing on the Edge brings together twenty-four authors who use literary essays and fiction to describe contemporary life in Alaska in the twenty-first century. Spanning the state from the Southwest Panhandle to the Arctic coast, from the rugged landlocked Interior to the rough open seas, from wide…

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