In this sweeping epic of the northernmost American frontier, James A. Michener guides us through Alaska’s fierce terrain and history, from the long-forgotten past to the bustling present. As his characters struggle for survival, Michener weaves together the exciting high points of Alaska’s story: its brutal origins; the American acquisition; the gold rush; the tremendous growth and exploitation … exploitation of the salmon industry; the arduous construction of the Alcan Highway, undertaken to defend the territory during World War II. A spellbinding portrait of a human community fighting to establish its place in the world, Alaska traces a bold and majestic saga of the enduring spirit of a land and its people.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener’s Hawaii.
Praise for Alaska
“Few will escape the allure of the land and people [Michener] describes. . . . Alaska takes the reader on a journey through one of the bleakest, richest, most foreboding, and highly inviting territories in our Republic, if not the world. . . . The characters that Michener creates are bigger than life.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Always the master of exhaustive historical research, Michener tracks the settling of Alaska [in] vividly detailed scenes and well-developed characters.”—Boston Herald
“Michener is still, sentence for sentence, writing’s fastest attention grabber.”—The New York Times
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I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to spend thirty minutes chatting with Mr. Michener. A day I will never forget. Each and every one of his books are well worth the read. The amount of research that goes into his books is remarkable.
So glad I crossed paths with such a curious mind.
Thank you Mr. M for hours of great reads!
You dive in on the first page and really don’t want to let this book go until the end. Fascinating historical fiction.
Mitch nervous is in a class all to himself. Don’t be put off by the size, read it!
This book starts slow much like Hawaii as he describes the geological formation of Alaska.once he brings the characters that settled and built Alaska it is hard to put down
Greatbook
This loooooong book is to say the least incredibly ambitious in scope. Do not consider it if you are looking for a short read. It was informative and fair in it’s assessment of the peoples involves, but rather heartbreaking considering the whites treatment of non-whites as well as the way that the people in ‘more civilized’ parts generally …
Another wonderful history book…Alaska
Really brings Alaska alive!
This is true Michener form, a sweeping saga . Alaska is probably the most unique area of our country in so many ways.
If you’re new to Michener, don’t be put off by the size of this book. Now that I’m older, I appreciate his style even more. It’s easy to read thru an era, then put it down to read a much shorter book. Then you can pick it up and …
Love everything Michener. Best story telling ever!
The characters are so realistic. The story transported me to another place and time.
It has been a long time since I read it. I would recommend it though.
As with all of his books, it is filled with historical facts. The characters make the time jump off the page and make events very understandable. Long but super reading. Jack Bradford
Gave a good perspective on Alaskan history
Over 20,000 pages on my Kindle and it went too fast
Having traveled to Alaska made it more interesting.
Wonderful book. After actually being to Alaska this book takes me back to the places we visited. Riveting.
Loved it and will read it again. Well researched and historical with excellent stories of real people who made the journey to Alaska in search of gold.
I loved Hawaii by same author but this book just dragged and I had to push myself to finish
I couldn’t get interested in this book.