Dozens of Alaska-related books are published each year, and some withstand the rigors of time.
Here are some books that are useful to those who are planning a trip to Alaska -- and to those who already live here. All can be ordered through bookstores or online through the publisher or such companies as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders.
"Alaska Almanac," edited by Don Graydon ($13, Alaska Northwest Books)
"Alaska Atlas and Gazetteer" ($20, DeLorme Publishing)
"Best Places Alaska," edited by Nan Elliott ($22, Sasquatch Books)
"Frommer's Alaska," by Charles Wolforth ($20, IDG Books Worldwide)
"The Milepost" ($25, Morris Communications)
"Native Peoples of Alaska," by Jan Halliday with Patricia J. Petrivelli and the Alaska Native Heritage Center ($18, Sasquatch Books)
Cities
"Anchorage," by Elizabeth Tower ($15, Epicenter Press)
"City Smart Guidebook: Anchorage," by Donna Freedman ($13, Avalon Travel Publishing)
"Fairbanks," by Dermot Cole ($15, Epicenter Press)
"Alaska's Kenai Peninsula," by Andromeda Romano-Lax ($13, Alaska Northwest Books)
"Interior Alaska," by B.G. Olson ($10, Epicenter Press)
Animals and Plants
"Alaska's Wild Plants: A Guide to Alaska's Edible Harvest," by Janice J. Schofield ($13, Alaska Pocket Guide)
"Field Guide to Alaskan Wildflowers: Commonly Seen along Highways and Byways," by Verna E. Pratt and Frank G. Pratt ($16, Alaskakrafts)
"Guide to the Birds of Alaska," by Robert H. Armstrong ($25, Alaska Northwest Books)
"Wildflowers of Denali National Park," by Verna E. Pratt and Frank G. Pratt ($17, Alaskakrafts; this may be available only as used)
Activities and Public Lands
"The Alaska River Guide: Canoeing, Kayaking, and Rafting in the Last Frontier," by Karen Jettmar ($17, Alaska Northwest Books)
"Alaska's Accessible Wilderness: A Traveler's Guide to Alaska's State Parks," by Bill Sherwonit and Jeff Schultz ($21.95, Alaska Northwest Books)
"Flyfishing Alaska," by Anthony J. Route ($18, Johnson Publishing)
"Hiking Alaska," by Dean Littlepage ($17, Falcon Publishing)
"Roadside Geology of Alaska," by Cathy Connor and Daniel O'Haire ($18, Mountain Press)
"Skiing in Alaska," by Elizabeth Tower ($13, Epicenter Press)
"Wild Alaska: The Complete Guide to Parks, Preserves, Wildlife Refuges and Other Public Lands," by Nancy Lange Simmerman and Tricia Brown ($20, Mountaineers Books)
"50 Hikes in Alaska's Chugach State Park," by Shane Shepherd and Owen Wozniak ($15, Mountaineers Books)
"55 Ways to the Wilderness in Southcentral Alaska," by Helen D. Nienhueser and John Wolfe Jr. ($13, Mountaineers Books)