Category Archives: Kindle eBooks

Alaska & The Klondike

Alaska & the Klondike, Early Writings and Historic Photographs, compiled and edited by Helen Hegener, is an anthology of selected writings by early explorers and travelers in Alaska and the Yukon Territory of Canada. Wonderful photographs accompany the often colorful writings of Frederick Schwatka, Hudson Stuck, Robert Service, Josiah Edward Spurr, and many others as they tell of adventure, explorations, fortunes won and lost, and the magnificent promise of our great northern lands. Read the words of those early travelers who accepted the chalenge of the North and left an indelible mark in their writing of it.  Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Books, Explorers, Gold Rush History, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, photographs | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Ascent of Denali

Hudson Stuck (1865–1920), known as the Archdeacon of the Yukon and the Arctic, was an Episcopal priest, social reformer, and mountain climber in the territory of Alaska who co-led the first expedition to successfully climb Denali (Mount McKinley) in June, 1913. He wrote a book based on the climb, The Ascent of Denali (Mount McKinley): A Narrative of the First Complete Ascent of the Highest Peak in North America, which was published in February, 1914 by Charles Scribers Sons, New York.  Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Explorers, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, Sled Dog History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alaska & The Klondike

Complete chapters from books such as Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled, The Land of Tomorrow, and Along Alaska’s Great River offer first-hand accounts of the authors’ adventures in charting an unknown country, exploring a wondrous land, searching for gold, delivering freight and mail, and administering medical and religious services by dog team, at a time when the land was young. Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Gold Rush History, Kindle eBooks, Sled Dog History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ernest de Koven Leffingwell

Ernest de Koven Leffingwell was a joint commander, with Ejnar Mikkelsen, of the 1906-1908 Anglo-American Polar Expedition, which established that, contrary to long-held myths and stories, there was no land north of Alaska.

Self-described as “the forgotten explorer,” as his efforts went largely unrecognized in his own time, Leffingwell is credited for later mapping about 150 miles of the Arctic coastline, between Point Barrow and Herschel Island, along with the adjacent Brooks Range, between 1906 and 1914. Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Books, Kindle eBooks, Sled Dog History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kindle Edition: Alaska and the Klondike

 ‘Alaska and the Klondike, Early Writings and Historic Photographs,’ compiled and edited by Helen Hegener, was published May 10, 2018, and is now available as an Amazon Kindle eBook. 

Charting an unknown country, exploring a wondrous land, searching for gold, delivering freight and mail beyond where any roads would reach, these were the exciting topics of books which became northland classics, with titles such as ‘Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled,’ ‘The Land of Tomorrow,’ and ‘Along Alaska’s Great River.’

Wonderful photographs accompany the often colorful writings of Frederick Schwatka, Hudson Stuck, Robert Service, Josiah Edward Spurr, and many others as they tell of adventures, explorations, fortunes won and lost, and the magnificent promise of our great northern lands. Read the words of those intrepid travelers who accepted the challenge of the north and left an indelible mark in their writing of it. Their first-hand observations are invaluable to understanding the history, as when world traveller Frank Carpenter noted while touring the construction of the Alaska Railroad: “I was so fortunate as to see Anchorage in the stump, tent, and shack stage, though it was growing marvelously fast. I give you my notes just as I penned them when I was on the spot, seeing how Uncle Sam’s engineers and executives were putting through their big job.”

Alaskan author Helen Hegener has compiled an engaging journey through the literary history of Alaska and the Klondike, and an introduction to some of the most compelling books ever written about the North.

The Kindle edition of this 2018 book is formatted as a print replica Kindle book, which maintains the rich formatting and layout of the print edition. Order your own copy today for only $5.99 (Kindle MatchBook $2.99). Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Kindle eBooks, News & Information | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kindle Edition: Alaskan Roadhouses

Now on Kindle, this book presents historic photos of dozens of individual roadhouses, and along with the colorful histories are first-hand accounts of those who stayed at the roadhouses while traveling the early trails and roads of Alaska, including the Reverend Samuel Hall Young, Frank G. Carpenter, Judge James Wickersham, Leonhard Seppala, Col. Walter L. Goodwin, and Matilda Clark Buller, who opened a roadhouse near Nome in 1901, at the height of the Nome Gold Rush. From Haly’s Roadhouse at Fort Yukon to the Grandview Roadhouse near Seward, and from the Slana Roadhouse south of Tok to the Deering Roadhouse on Kotzebue Sound, these respected establishments made travel in territorial Alaska possible. Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, Roadhouses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kindle Edition: Alaskan Sled Dog Tales

Alaskan Sled Dog Tales, by Helen Hegener, shares the important history of sled dogs in Alaska, highlighting the adventures of legendary mushers such as Leonhard Seppala, Scotty Allan, and ‘Iron Man” Johnson, and explaining how sled dogs were an integral part of historic events such as the 1925 Serum Run to Nome. True stories include Alaskan mail carrier Eli Smith’s epic trip to Washington, D.C., Alaska Nellie’s daring rescue of a lost mail carrier, the Rev. Samuel Hall Young’s 1913 trip over the Iditarod Trail, and Territorial Judge James Wickersham’s 1901 dogsled trip down the frozen Yukon River from Eagle to Rampart. Fascinating stories of Alaska’s history as seen from the runners of a dogsled, told by the adventurous souls who made the journeys. 
Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, Sled Dog History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kindle Edition: The First Iditarod

“Musher after musher agrees that no one – racers or officials – knew what to expect.” ~Bill Sherwonit in Iditarod: The Great Race to Nome (Alaska Northwest Books, 1991) The First Iditarod  Mushers’ Tales From the 1973 Race On a … Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kindle Edition: Long Hard Trails

Now available in a print replica Kindle edition, Long Hard Trails and Sled Dog Tales is a memoir of sorts, an adventure story to be sure, and a look at what it’s like to follow a winning sled dog team across the Canadian and Alaskan wilderness.

Award-winning author Helen Hegener hitched her wagon to a star: The legendary four-time Iditarod and Yukon Quest champion Lance Mackey, beginning with his bid for a fourth Yukon Quest title in 2008. Lance would go on to make sled dog racing history, and Helen would go on to build a publishing company specializing in the history of Alaska. Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Books, Kindle eBooks, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kindle Edition: “A Mighty Nice Place”

The story of the 1935 Matanuska Colony Project, which settled 200 families near Palmer, Alaska. Continue reading

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Colony Barns, Kindle eBooks, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, News & Information | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment