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SMITHSONIAN JOURNEYS

Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Books for

Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Essential Reading

Item EXALA259. Buy these 5 items as a set for $85 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Alaska's Southeast, Touring the Inside Passage

Alaska's Southeast, Touring the Inside Passage

by Mike Miller

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 295 PAGES

Our best-selling book on Alaska, this practical guide includes not just information on where to go and what to do in the region (with terrific town maps) but also a good overview of the area's natural history, culture and geography. (ALA23, $17.95)

Coming into the Country

Coming into the Country

by John McPhee

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1976
  • PAPER
  • 438 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

McPhee's lyrical portrait of frontier life and some unforgettable Alaskan characters captures the spirit of the place like no other. (ALA04, $18.00)

Marine Mammals of Alaska

Marine Mammals of Alaska

by Kate Wynne

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2007
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 75 PAGES

Designed for use in the field, this indispensable guide features large color photographs, key information and detailed range maps for all the whales, seals and other marine creatures of Alaska and the Bering Sea across to Russia. (ALA08, $25.00)

The Nature of Alaska

The Nature of Alaska

by James Kavanagh

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

This clear illustrated field guide to mammals, birds, seashore life, fishes, trees, shrubs and wildflowers features 300 color illustrations. (ALA137, $14.95)

Alaska and Canada's Inside Passage

Alaska and Canada's Inside Passage

by Coastal Cruise Tour Guides

  • 1995
  • MAP

This accordion map-guide folds into a booklet, at a scale of 1:1,000,000. (ALA12, $15.95)

 
Denali National Park and Preserve Map

Denali National Park and Preserve Map


by Trails Illustrated

  • 2011
  • MAP

A durable, fold-up topographic map of Denali and surroundings. (ALA88, $11.95)

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve Map

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve Map


by Trails Illustrated

  • MAP

This folder, full-color map covers Glacier Bay and the surrounding area (1:94,000), including Chicagof Island and the Alexander Archipelago. (ALA112, $11.95)

Alaska Almanac

Alaska Almanac


by Alaska Northwest

  • REFERENCE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

Zany facts and figures on the geography, history and culture of Alaska. Peppered with only-in-Alaska jokes and goofy illustrations, it makes for leisurely, entertaining browsing for the whole family. (ALA21, $12.95)

Alaska, Saga of a Bold Land

Alaska, Saga of a Bold Land


by Walter R. Borneman

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 608 PAGES

In this wide-ranging history, Borneman captures the personalities, bravura and challenges of Alaska, describing the days of the fur traders and explorers, the gold rush, the building of the railroads and current controversies. (ALA187, $16.99)

Into the Wild

Into the Wild


by Jon Krakauer

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

The gripping tale of a young man searching for experience, wilderness and self, who meets his end in the wilds north of Mt. McKinley. (ALA52, $14.95)

Passage to Juneau

Passage to Juneau


by Jonathan Raban

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 435 PAGES

In this thoughtful account of the sea and its meaning, Raban weaves the tale of Vancouver's original voyage of discovery with his own adventures on a solo journey aboard a 35-foot ketch along the Inside Passage. (ALA94, $15.95)

Travels in Alaska

Travels in Alaska


by John Muir

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 248 PAGES

The centerpiece of this beloved classic is Muir's wide-eyed account of the discovery of Glacier Bay. (ALA16, $15.00)

Alaska

Alaska


by James Michener

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 1073 PAGES

Michener tackles the 49th state in this rousing epic tale of men and wildlife on the frontier. (ALA56, $15.95)

Denali: A Literary Anthology

Denali: A Literary Anthology


by Bill Sherwonit

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

Sherwonit includes a chapter from Adolph Murie's marvelous A Naturalist in Alaska in this classic anthology, first published in 1998. (ALA290, $18.95)

Murder at Five Finger Light

Murder at Five Finger Light


by Sue Henry

  • MYSTERY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

Sue Henry, who has lived in Juneau for 25 years, draws on Alaskan history, lore and landscape for this classic who-done-it set on an old lighthouse on the Inside Passage. (ALA266, $6.99)

The Reader's Companion to Alaska

The Reader's Companion to Alaska


by Alan Ryan

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 395 PAGES

A volume of 28 eyewitness reports on the Alaskan wilderness over the last 100 years, including pieces by John Muir, Barry Lopez and Jon Krakauer. The long excerpts are presented geographically with separate sections on the Inside Passage, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali. (ALA53, $22.95)

Alaska's Inside Passage

Alaska's Inside Passage


by Kim Heacox

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1997
  • HARD COVER
  • 144 PAGES

This coffee table book captures the region's natural beauty in a series of color photographs and informative essays (ALA43, $39.95)

Geology of Southeast Alaska: Rock and Ice in Motion

Geology of Southeast Alaska: Rock and Ice in Motion


by Harold Hilton Stowell

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 140 PAGES

An illustrated guide to the geography, glaciers and geological formation of coastal Alaska from Ketchikan to Skagway with detailed geological maps and color photographs throughout. (ALA220, $19.95)

In Denali

In Denali


by Kim Heacox

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 96 PAGES

This handsome portrait of Denali features color photographs along with an overview of the wildlife, habitats, human history and conservation. (ALA26, $34.95)

Salmon in the Trees, Life in Alaska's Tongass Rain Forest


by Amy Gulick

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 176 PAGES

Wildlife photographer Gulick documents bears, wolves, whales and other creatures of the coastal Tongass and islands of Alaska. (ALA320, $29.95)

The Inside Passage to Alaska

The Inside Passage to Alaska


by Art Wolfe

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES

A longtime resident of the Pacific Northwest, Wolfe celebrates the islands, glaciers and wildlife of the Inside Passage in this photographic tribute. (ALA263, $22.95)

Alaska Wildlife

Alaska Wildlife


by Pocket Naturalist

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2000
  • PLASTIC CARD

This laminated card features color drawings and short descriptions of commonly encountered birds, mammals and reptiles of Alaska. We also carry Alaska Birds. (Item ALA207) (ALA123, $5.95)

Alaska, Travellers' Wildlife Guides

Alaska, Travellers' Wildlife Guides


by Les Beletsky | Dennis Paulson

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 456 PAGES

A guide to the most commonly encountered birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and marine invertebrates of Alaska featuring 320 handsome color illustrations and descriptive information on each species. (ALA119, $27.95)

Familiar Plants of Coastal Alaska

Familiar Plants of Coastal Alaska


by Stephen MacLean

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Ship naturalist MacLean features common and interesting plants, lichens, mosses, ferns and trees of temperate coastal rainforest habitats in Alaska in this compact photo guide. One of his favorite places is Ideal Creek, near Petersburg, "which has a wonderful U.S. Forest Service boardwalk trail through Alaska's old growth temperate rainforest, with moss and lichen species distributed from the forest floor to the canopy far overhead. Visitors are often surprised to find orchids in the forest and adjacent wet meadows." (ALA329, $19.95)

Field Guide to Alaskan Wildflowers

Field Guide to Alaskan Wildflowers


by Verna Pratt

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 136 PAGES

With 350 color illustrations, it's slim enough to slip into your pocket. (ALA40, $15.95)

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America


by Jon Dunn

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 576 PAGES

From Alaska to Baja California, Nova Scotia and Florida, this guide is the veteran's choice for birding anywhere in the United States. Tabbed for easy access, the color range maps in this sixth edition are outstanding. (FG09, $27.95)

Northwest Field Guide, Inside Passage to Glacier Bay

Northwest Field Guide, Inside Passage to Glacier Bay


by Rainforest Publications

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2005
  • PLASTIC CARD

This seven-panel, folded and laminated card is an easy-to-carry identification guide to fish, marine and land mammals, sea and shore birds. (PNW211, $6.95)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.