Classic Images of Canadian First Nations by Ed Cavell
A voyage through Canada’s cultural past in striking black & white photographs.

The Metis: Memorable Events and Memorable Personalities by George & Terry Goulet
An insightful picture into the history, heritage and culture of the Metis people.
Memorable events include constitutional recognition and memorable personalities include Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont.

Crosswinds by Michael Bellamy
Sunblood, a pristine wilderness isolated in the Yukon Territory of Canada, divulges a tantalizing mystery that ignites bush pilot Scott Brandon’s love for adventure.
With Catherine McGregor, an executive jet pilot from California, he searches for a Lufthansa airliner which vanished in 1937. The path of of discovery leads them from the genesis of the Third Reich to the boardrooms of an American Empire.

Pioneering Conservation in Alaska by Ken Ross
The Alaskan frontier tempted fur traders, whalers, salmon fishers, gold miners, hunters, and oilmen to take what they could without regard for long-term consequences. Wildlife species, ecosystems, and Native cultures suffered, sometimes irreparably. Damage to wildlife and lands drew the attention of environmentalists, including John Muir, who applied their influence to enact wildlife protection laws and set aside lands for conservation. Alaska served as a testing ground for emergent national resource policy in the United States, as environmental values of species and ecosystem sustainability replaced the unrestrained exploitation of Alaska’s early frontier days.

Correcting the Landscape by Marjorie Kowalski Cole
The editor of a small weekly newspaper in Fairbanks, Alaska, Gus Traynor is an independent spirit whose idealism has survived numerous tests. When big business interests threaten the breathtaking wilderness he cherishes, he joins forces with his best friend—an often self-serving developer—to take on the forces of progress. Soon, in his determination to preserve the dignity and heritage of his community, Gus is learning more than he has ever imagined about the region’s colourful mix of opportunists, dreamers, and artists. But his mission is complicated by the discovery of a young woman’s body floating in the river . . . and by the blossoming of an unexpected love.

Two Women in the Klondike by Mary E. Hitchcock
Now in paperback!
When Mary Hitchcock heard about the discovery of gold in the Klondike in 1898, she left her privileged city life for the wilds of Alaska, planning to stake her own claims. She persuaded her friend Edith Van Buren to accompany her, and the two began preparations for “roughing it.” The “necessities” that they brought up the Yukon River to Dawson City, Canada included a portable bowling alley, and ice cream maker, a Great Dane named Ivan, and a full-sized circus tent.
Hitchcock relates the struggles, surprises, and pleasures of travelling in the late nineteenth century in her trademark style. She describes in diary from the people she met, and her impressions of rural Alaska and Dawson City. Invaluable for its detailed descriptions of manners, food, and personalities, Hitchcockís account of the Klondike Gold Rush is an outrageous adventure for general readers, armchair travellers, and anyone interested in the lives of American women in the late 1800s.

As Long As the Rivers Flow by Larry Loyie
From the 1880s for almost 100 years, the education of First Nations children was taken on by various churches, in government-sponsored residential schools. Children were forcibly taken from their families in order to erase their traditional languages and cultures.

As Long as the Rivers Flow is the story of Larry Loyie’s last summer before entering residential school. It is a time of learning and adventure. He cares for an abandoned baby owl and watches his grandmother make winter moccasins. He helps the family prepare for a hunting and gathering trip.

The Gathering Tree by Larry Loyie and Constance Brissenden
Now in softcover.
The Gathering Tree is a beautifully illustrated children’s book about HIV/AIDS. Written by award-winning First Nations author Larry Loyie and co-author Constance Brissenden, it is a gentle, positive story of a First Nations family facing HIV. After 11-year-old Tyler and his younger sister Shay-Lyn learn their favorite cousin Robert has HIV, they discover that knowledge brings understanding and self-awareness. Aspects of physical, spiritual, mental and emotional health are addressed.
Authentic paintings by award-winning illustrator Heather D. Holmlund bring the characters and rural setting to life.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present — and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parent’s divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, or despair — it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.

Kavik the Wolf Dog by Walt Morey
When Andy Evans stumbles upon the snow-covered wreckage of a small plane, he’s shocked to find a survivor. Should he put the gravely injured dog out of his misery? The look in the animal’s eyes says he’s not ready to die. It turns out that Kavik’s a champion sled dog, and soon he makes a full recovery. When his former owner finds out Kavik is alive he wants the dog back. But Kavik has other ideas.

The Snow Baby by Katherine Kirkpatrick
Born in a two-room, tar-paper-covered house in the far north of Greenland, Marie Ahnighito Peary was destined to have an exciting childhood. Her parents, the famous explorer Robert E. Peary and Josephine Peary, had shocked Victorian society by starting their family so far away from “civilization.” Fair-skinned children were so rare in the Far North that the local Inuit called Marie Snow Baby.

Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North by Peter Sís
One hundred years ago a young man named Jan Welzl left his home in Europe and headed for the Far North. He rode off in a horsedrawn cart, traded the cart for a sled pulled by reindeer, and was gone for thirty years.

Inspired by the memoirs of this Czech folk hero, Peter Sis has re-created an extraordinary Arctic odyssey. Mixing fact with tall tale, he paints the fascinating story of a little-known explorer and the Inuit community members who became his teachers and friends. With maps, storyboards, panoramas, and even a myth told in pictographs, Peter Sis has concocted a visual feast.

Birds of the World: A Photographic Guide by Andrew Gosler, editor
With photographs and descriptions of over 1,300 species, plus a full listing of every bird species in the world, this outstanding reference is an up-to-date portrait of the world birds. An international team of ornithologists provides concise descriptions and reveals the latest science in bird evolution, behavior, ecology, classification and identification. Organized by region and habitat rather than species, the book allows for a more instinctive understanding of birds and their relationships with each other and the environment.

The directory makes up the bulk of the book. It is divided into six sections on the Earth’s zoogeographical regions. Each section is written by a recognized authority and includes a thorough review of species, habitat and threats, and conservation organizations. Along with specially commissioned artwork, each species description includes:

* Scientific and common names
* Physical characteristics, behavior, habitat and distribution
* Conservation status
* Similar species, with cross-references.

Eau Canada: The Future of Canada’s Water by Karen Bakker
As the sustainability of our natural resources is increasingly questioned, Canadians remain stubbornly convinced of the unassailability of our water. Mounting evidence suggests, however, that Canadian water is under threat. Eau Canada assembles the country’s top water experts to discuss our most pressing water issues. Perspectives from a broad range of thinkers – geographers, environmental lawyers, former government officials, aquatic and political scientists, and economists – reflect the diversity of concerns in water management.

Arguing that weak governance is at the heart of Canada’s water problems, this timely book identifies our key failings, explores debates over jurisdiction, transboundary waters, exports, and privatization, and maps out solutions for protecting our most important resource.

Out of Thin Air: Dinosaurs, Birds, and Earth’s Ancient Atmosphere by Peter D Ward
For 65 million years dinosaurs ruled the Earth until a deadly asteroid forced their extinction. But what accounts for the incredible longevity of dinosaurs? A renowned scientist now provides a startling explanation that is rewriting the history of the Age of Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were pretty amazing creatures real-life monsters that have the power to fascinate us. And their fiery Hollywood ending only serves to make the story that much more dramatic. But fossil evidence demonstrates that dinosaurs survived several mass extinctions, and were seemingly unaffected by catastrophes that decimated most other life on Earth. What could explain their uncanny ability to endure through the ages?

States of Nature by Tina Loo
States of Nature is one of the first books to trace the development of Canadian wildlife conservation from its social, political, and historical roots. While noting the influence of celebrity conservationists such as Jack Miner and Grey Owl, Tina Loo emphasizes the impact of ordinary people on the evolution of wildlife management in Canada. She also explores the elements leading up to the emergence of the modern environmental movement, ranging from the reliance on and practical knowledge of wildlife demonstrated by rural people to the more aloof and scientific approach of state-sponsored environmentalism.

The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific by Paul Theroux
In one of his most exotic and breathtaking journeys, the intrepid traveler Paul Theroux ventures to the South Pacific, exploring fifty-one islands by collapsible kayak. Beginning in New Zealand’s rain forests and ultimately coming to shore thousands of miles away in Hawaii, Theroux paddles alone over isolated atolls, through dirty harbors and shark-filled waters, and along treacherous coastlines. This exhilarating tropical epic is full of disarming observations and high adventure.

The Last Season by Eric Blehm
Destined to become a classic of adventure literature, The Last Season examines the extraordinary life of legendary backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson and his mysterious disappearance in California’s unforgiving Sierra Nevada—mountains as perilous as they are beautiful.

Eric Blehm’s masterful work is a gripping detective story interwoven with the riveting biography of a complicated, original, and wholly fascinating man.

Digging For The Truth by Josh Bernstein
No location is too dangerous, no terrain too rough, no culture too exotic for explorer and survival expert Josh Bernstein. With his unique hands-on approach, he travels the globe, seeking answers to some of the most enigmatic mysteries of the ancient world. Digging for the Truth shares Josh’s personal stories, journals, and insights, revealing the risks and dangers of what went on behind the scenes in shooting the show, and the fascinating details about what he uncovers along each adventure.

The Ice Museum: In Search of the Lost Land of Thule by Joanna Kavenna
A legend, a land once seen and then lost forever, Thule was a place beyond the edge of the maps, a mystery for thousands of years. And to the Nazis, Thule was an icy Eden, birthplace of Nordic “purity.” In this exquisitely written narrative, Joanna Kavenna wanders in search of Thule, to Shetland, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Greenland, and Svalbard, unearthing the philosophers, poets, and explorers who claimed Thule for themselves, from Richard Francis Burton to Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen. Marked by breathtaking snowscapes, haunting literature, and the cold specter of past tragedies, this is a wondrous blend of travel writing and detective work that is impossible to set down.

Porcelain Moon and Pomegranates by Üstün Bilgen-Reinart
For millennia the land now called Turkey has been at the crossroads of history. A bridge between Europe and Asia, between West and East, between Christianity and Islam, the peninsula also known as Anatolia, the place where the sun rises, is one of the oldest continually inhabited regions on the planet.

In this unique blend of memoir and travel literature, Üstün Bilgen-Reinart explores the people, politics, and passions of her native country, whisking the reader on a journey through time, memory, and space. She searches deep into the roots of her own ancestry and uncovers a family secret, breaks taboos in a nation that still takes tradition very seriously, and navigates through dangerous territory that sees her investigating brothels in Ankara, probing honour murders in Sanliurfa, encountering Kurds in the remote southeast, and witnessing the rape of the earth by a gold mining company in Bergama.

March has arrived and spring is valiantly trying to make an appearance as we shovel out from underneath copious amounts of February snowfall.

The Yukon Quest had a record breaking year on a fast and bitterly cold track with the top 4 finishers breaking Frank Turner’s previous record for fastest time. Lance Mackay won again for the third year in a row AND then went on to race in the Iditarod with 12 dogs from his Yukon Quest team and WON that race as well. He is the first musher to win both races in the same year. Like I said, record breaking.

The Canada Winter Games came and went. Everything went very smoothly with visitors impressed by the Yukon’s hospitality and despite -30 temperatures throughout the first week which made the outdoor events a challenge. I guess that’s why they call it the “Winter” Games.

In the John Hatch gallery this month:

We have added a few pictures in the “Vehicles” category so I invite you to browse that category as well as having a look at our Yukon highways and byways in the “Roads” category.
And as always we are adding new images weekly and invite you to help us identify any photos you may recognize.

On to what’s new…

Books that Caught My Eye:
The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific by Paul Theroux
In one of his most exotic and breathtaking journeys, the intrepid traveler Paul Theroux ventures to the South Pacific, exploring fifty-one islands by collapsible kayak.

Eau Canada: The Future of Canada’s Water by Karen Bakker
As the sustainability of our natural resources is increasingly questioned, Canadians remain stubbornly convinced of the unassailability of our water. Mounting evidence suggests, however, that Canadian water is under threat.

Two Women in the Klondike by Mary E. Hitchcock
Now in paperback! When Mary Hitchcock heard about the discovery of gold in the Klondike in 1898, she left her privileged city life for the wilds of Alaska, planning to stake her own claims. She persuaded her friend Edith Van Buren to accompany her, and the two began preparations for “roughing it.” The “necessities” that they brought up the Yukon River to Dawson City, Canada included a portable bowling alley, and ice cream maker, a Great Dane named Ivan, and a full-sized circus tent.

Classic Images of Canadian First Nations by Ed Cavell
A voyage through Canada’s cultural past in striking black & white photographs.

We invite you to browse the rest of our new arrivals: in the posts below, on our New Arrivals page or pick your favorite Category from the right hand menu.

As well, make sure to browse macsbooks.ca for new offerings from your favorite authors which are not covered below.

As always, we welcome your questions, comments and suggestions at editor@yukonbooks.com

Ken Searcy - Webmaster
YukonBooks.com