More about Alaska
Alaska by the book
5,000 state-oriented books await the reader; here are a few
By Steve Edwards / Anchorage Daily News
What's a vacation without a good book to read? When vacationing in Alaska, it might be a good idea to do some reading before arriving in the Great Land.
Lynn Dixon, co-owner of Cook Inlet Book Co. in downtown Anchorage, has some suggestions for before-, during- and after-vacation reading.
And Dixon should know. She has lived in Alaska since the early 1950s, and her bookstore has more than 5,000 titles that are considered Alaska books.
"For the people who live here, we don't think of ourselves as in an exotic location," Dixon said. "But for people coming to Alaska, it really is an exotic place. We're far away, almost foreign and adventurous."
Dixon said it's difficult to select books for others to read -- "everyone has their own taste." But there are many books she always recommends to shoppers in her store at 415 W. Fifth Ave.
Before arriving in Alaska
A little research before arriving in Alaska is a good idea. Some of the reading material Dixon suggests:
• "The Milepost" (edited by Kris Valencia Graef): "It's the best thing you can have if you're doing anything in Alaska."
• "Lonely Planet Alaska" (Jim Dufresne): "It's got great background information on Alaska. It has a lot of hints for travelers."
• "City Smart Guidebook Anchorage" (Donna Freedman): "It has good Anchorage information by someone who lives here."
• "The Last New Land" (edited by Wayne Mergler): "Fiction, nonfiction, really it has a taste of all things Alaska. It has Robert Service to Native legends."
Books to read in Alaska
• "Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival" (Velma Wallis): "It's a really good Athabaskan legend."
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