General

Into the Wild

"God, he was a smart kid..." So why did Christopher McCandless trade a bright future--a college education, material comfort, uncommon ability and charm--for death by starvation in an abandoned bus in the woods of Alaska? This is the question that Jon Krakauer's book tries to answer. While it doesn't—cannot—answer the question with certainty, Into the Wild does shed considerable light along the way. Not only about McCandless's "Alaskan odyssey," but also the forces that drive people to drop out of society and test themselves in other ways. Krakauer quotes Wallace Stegner's writing on a young man who similarly disappeared in the Utah desert in the 1930s: "At 18, in a dream, he saw himself ... wandering through the romantic waste places of the world. No man with any of the juices of boyhood in him has forgotten those dreams." Into the Wild shows that McCandless, while extreme, was hardly unique; the author makes the hermit into one of us, something McCandless himself could never pull off. By book's end, McCandless isn't merely a newspaper clipping, but a sympathetic, oddly magnetic personality. Whether he was "a courageous idealist, or a reckless idiot," you won't soon forget Christopher McCandless.

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter.  How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir.  In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his  cash.  He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and , unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented.  Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw the maps away.  Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.

Jon Krakauer constructs a clarifying prism through which he reassembles the disquieting facts of McCandless's short life.  Admitting an interst that borders on obsession, he searches for the clues to the dries and desires that propelled McCandless.  Digging deeply, he takes an inherently compelling mystery and unravels the larger riddles it holds: the profound pull of the American wilderness on our imagination; the allure of high-risk activities to young men of a certain cast of mind; the complex, charged bond between fathers and sons.

When McCandless's innocent mistakes turn out to be irreversible and fatal, he becomes the stuff of tabloid headlines and is dismissed for his naiveté, pretensions, and hubris.  He is said  to have had a death wish but wanting to die is a very different thing from being compelled to look over the edge. Krakauer brings McCandless's uncompromising pilgrimage out of the shadows, and the peril, adversity , and renunciation sought by this enigmatic young man are illuminated with a rare understanding--and not an ounce of sentimentality. Mesmerizing, heartbreaking, Into the Wild is a tour de force. The power and luminosity of Jon Krakauer's stoytelling blaze through every page.

One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey (Annivers

To live in a pristine land . . . roam the wilderness . . . build a home. . . . Thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. Here is a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond.

Frommer's Alaska 2008 (Frommer's Complete)

Frommer's. The best trips start here.

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer.
* Insider advice on enjoying the great Alaskan wilderness, from whale-watching and kayaking to fishing for Pacific salmon.
*

Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.
*

Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget.
*

Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

Coming into the Country

Residents of the Lower 48 sometimes imagine Alaska as a snow-covered land of igloos, oil pipelines, and polar bears. But Alaska is far more complex geographically, culturally, ecologically, and politically than most Americans know, and few writers are as capable of capturing this complexity as John McPhee. In Coming into the Country, McPhee describes his travels through much of the state with bush pilots, prospectors, and settlers, as well as politicians and businesspeople who have their eyes set on a very different future for the state.

Alaska Atlas and Gazetteer (Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer)

The first choice of outdoors enthusiasts. Beautiful, detailed, large-format maps of every state. Perfect for home and office reference, and a must for all your vehicles. Gazetteer information may include: campgrounds, attractions, historic sites & museums, recreation areas, trails, freshwater fishing site & boat launches, canoe trips or scenic drives. Categories vary by state

Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping: Alaska and Yukon Camping with RV or Tent (Traveler's Guide series)

Detailed routes and advice for heading into the wilds of Alaska and northwestern Canada are provided in this guide for RV and tent campers. This grand tour of Alaska covers in detail the Alaskan Highway, routes throughout the Yukon and Alaskan outback, and the ferry system in southeastern Alaska. Campgrounds throughout the region are listed with pictures, descriptions of amenities, meticulous maps, and contact information for each; campgrounds suitable for large RVs are also identified. Along with important details for a safe trip—such as border crossings, budget planning, vehicle preparation or renting an RV, appropriate clothing, road conditions, and possible wildlife encounters—recreational information on hiking, mountain biking, boating, rafting, kayaking, and viewing wildlife is provided for each destination.

Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2008 (Frommer's Cruises)

Experience the best a place has to offer on the cruise that's right for you. Frommer's. Your trip begins with us.

• Exact prices, including brochure rates, with tips on how to find deep discounts, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget.
• Extensive descriptions of all the major ships sailing in Alaska, with information on everything from cabins and ship facilities to shore excursions and recreational activities.
• Comprehensive ship ratings that grade the essential elements of a cruise experience (dining, activities, children's programs, public areas, cleanliness, and overall enjoyment) from "poor" to "outstanding."
• Complete coverage of the Inside Passage and Gulf of Alaska, with off-the-beaten-path experiences and new takes on top attractions.
• Bonus wildlife guide in the appendix highlights the animals you're most likely to see-from whales to bald eagles to bears.

Alaska by Cruise Ship: The Complete Guide to Cruising Alaska with Giant Pull-out Map (6th Edition)

The new sixth edition of Alaska By Cruise Ship has been completely updated with new attractions and shore excursions for cruisers to this beautiful state.

Over 400 color photographs and dozens of color maps support the narrative describing this exciting cruise. Comes with a large color pull-out map with inside page references and a mile-by-mile locator system showing distances traveled. All base ports and ports of call of an Alaska cruise are included with comprehensive shore excursion information (with port walking maps) and land tour options for each stop. Extensive detail on history, wildlife, native culture and natural phenomena also are included as well as hiking tips and trail locations. A detailed chapter deals with the diverse wildlife and also includes a special full-page map to help you locate and identify the different species of whales.

Covers details of ports from Seattle to Fairbanks and beyond and draws on authorities from the Universities of Alaska and British Columbia.

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska

Tiny Haines, Alaska, ninety miles north of Juneau, is accessible mainly by water or air—and only when the weather is good. There’s no traffic light and no mail delivery; people can vanish without a trace; and funerals are community affairs. As both obituary writer and social columnist for the local newspaper, Heather Lende knows better than anyone the goings-on in this breathtakingly beautiful place. Her offbeat chronicle brings us inside her busy life: we meet her husband, Chip, who owns the local hardware store; their five children; and a colorful assortment of friends and offbeat neighbors, including aging hippies, salty fishermen, native Tlingit Indians, Mormon spelunkers . . . as well as the moose, eagles, sea lions, and bears with whom they share this wild and perilous land.

Tiny Haines, Alaska, is ninety miles north of Juneau, accessible mainly by water or air—and only when the weather is good. There’s no traffic light and no mail delivery; people can vanish without a trace, and funerals are community affairs. Heather Lende posts both the obituaries and the social column for the local newspaper. If anyone knows the goings-on in this close-knit town—from births to weddings to funerals—she does.

Whether contemplating the mysterious death of eccentric Speedy Joe, who never took off his hat—not even for a haircut; researching the details of a one-legged lady gold miner’s adventurous life; observing the Chilkat Bald Eagle Festival; or ice skating in the shadow of glacier-studded mountains, Lende’s warm, folksy style brings us inside her busy life.We meet her husband, Chip, who owns the local lumber yard, their five children, and a colorful assortment of friends and neighbors, including aging hippies, salty fisherman, native Tlingit Indians, and volunteer undertakers, as well as the moose, eagles, sea lions, and bears with whom they share this wild and perilous land.

Death in the Grizzly Maze: Th Timothy Treadwell Story