Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land

I read this book shortly after returning from a trip to Alaska and after reading Mitchner's Alaska which it parallels. I found it enjoyable and interesting reading and especially liked how he capsulized the various bits in self contained chapters. Having said that I found some of the chapters on the Russian history a bit of a drag and then some of the later chapters left me looking for more. But if you want a general history to get a feel for this fascinating place, you can't beat this.

This a well written history of our 49 state. Anyone interested in the history of Alaska will find this book interesting.

Alaska, Saga of a Bold Land, is an archetype for North American regional history. In an entirely commendable fashion, Walter Borneman has provided the captivating details of a frontier state which remarkably remains so into the 21st century. Plotting the economic victories and upheavals, the natural disasters and wonders, Borneman deftly communicates the intimate details rarely found in such a readable history.Borneman's view is a balanced one where competing interests are at play. In the ever divisive fight over land use and conservation, Borneman admirably selects the middle ground while patiently explaining the potential impacts upon Alaska's future. Such an objective and, yet, compelling achievement is highly appreciated as was Borneman's excellent asides into local characters and customs. Alaska has been pushed and pulled by outside interests since it's inception as an economic engine. From early Russian fur exploitation to contemporary cruise ship tourism, Alaska, Saga of a Bold Land, is a gem.

Before there was Seward's Folly, there were the Russian fur traders, and before them were the native tribes. Borneman takes you on an exhaustive trip through our 49th state from its geological formation and the land bridge with Asia to the dawn of the twenty-first century. Along the way we are introduced to explorers, natives, conservationists, trappers, fishermen, prospectors, politicians and oil men, among a slew of others. He shows how Alaska has been misunderstood, misrepresented and exploited all through history. The history he presents is very thorough - almost too thorough. He speaks of many peoples and locations as Alaska was explored and the great blank on the map became filled in with details. But this is the weakness of the book. For such a vast land (superimposed over the lower 48 states, Alaska would stretch from the southeast, to California, and up to the Dakotas), the maps in the book, while helpful, do not adequately help the reader. There needed to be more - many of the places are introduced to us as the explorers come, yet pinpointing them on the map could be difficult without a guide. By necessity, many maps of Alaska need to be large scale; unfortunately a lot of this large scale is taken up by wilderness. Borneman needed to give us more blow up sections of the coast to illustrate what he was talking about. It was not until 100 pages after it was first talked about did I understand where a location really was. Despite this flaw, you can't quibble with the author's passion for the subject and the time he has spent putting together the story of this fairly unknown land. And with its role in various empires, exploration and expansions, the history is a fascinating tapestry of kingdoms and explorers. It is not a difficult read, just one with lots of details, but one that can transport you to our northernmost state, seeing where it is and where it is still trying to fit into our United States. A book worth the investment of time.

Walter R. Borneman's "Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land" delivers exactly what it promises to deliver from its subtitle. The book is a complete history of the 49th State, from prehistoric times until the dawn of the 21st Century. Checking in at 540 pages of narrative, it is as big and daunting as Alaska itself. Though the book could have used more illustrations and perhaps some photographs to assist the reader, Borneman is a good enough storyteller to keep things interesting.The story begins with a discussion of the migration of native tribes from Siberia during the last ice age. Borneman then flashes forward to Vitus Bering and the first Russian explorations and colonization of the territory. This is then followed by "Seward's Folly," the American purchase of Alaska, which, surprisingly, as Borneman demonstrates was much more widely supported than many historical accounts would indicate. At two cents an acres, it was certainly one of the great bargains of the 19th Century. Moving into the 20th Century, the story focuses on the Alaskan Gold Rushes and American settlement, the Japanese invasion during World War II, the 1964 earthquake, and finally the production of oil and the resulting envioronmental controversies. Borneman's scope is expansive, and any reader of his book will come away with a very complete knowledge of the history of what remains the last American frontier. Overall, a comprehensive and well-written account that will be particularly appreciated by history buffs.