The Long View: Dispatches on Alaska History (Ester Republic Press) - Softcover

Coen, Ross

Softcover

ISBN 10: 097492217X ISBN 13: 9780974922171

Publisher: Ester Republic Press, 2013

Synopsis

Too often the history of a place is reduced to a list of dates and a handful of major events, ignoring the daily stories that help shape its legacy. In The Long View, Ross Coen stops to explore the smaller yet extremely meaningful moments in Alaska’s past, and in doing so he builds a history unlike any before.

This collection of Coen’s columns from the celebrated Ester Republic allows readers to see how short snapshots of everyday life can come together to create a true picture of the unique experience of living in Alaska. Covering everything from mail order brides to failed rocket launches and true political intrigue, Coen’s engaging writing makes the history of Alaska accessible and entertaining.

About this title

About the Author

Ross Coen works at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he oversees a program of rural energy development jointly sponsored by the Tanana Chiefs Conference. He also teaches at the university and has published numerous articles on Alaska and arctic history in the Northern Review, Alaska Magazine, Alaska History, and other publications.

Review

The Long View, this well-informed, always delightful, and sometimes surprising book, exposes us to much of what is so special about Alaska. Readers will either recognize themselves in the conversation or be able to recall a friend, neighbor, or companion commenting on the great Alaskan story. --Mike Hawfield, Assistant Professor of History Kenai Peninsula College

Alaska history is like a late-night movie that is re-aired every now and then on the public access channel, writes Ross Coen in the introduction to his new book. You know exactly what s going to happen, but you watch anyway. It's an apt metaphor for many of the essays found in this book....Coen relentlessly mines the past to shed light on the present throughout this book. ...The 2010 census led to a column about the difficulties of accomplishing this task a century earlier, when travel across Alaska was vastly more difficult and the final report made special note of the fact that that no one had died while counting heads. A recurring theme in these columns is the staunchly libertarian ethic that has characterized Alaska politics from the start. One column, published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of statehood, explores how the views of many opponents of joining the union echoed the same sentiments of many of today s opponents of large government. This attitude found its spokesman in the late Alaska secessionist Joe Vogler. The 2010 Senate campaign of the somewhat similarly minded Joe Miller resulted in two columns (again consolidated into one chapter) that trace the evolution of Vogler s thinking via his many letters to this paper (there are some great quotes found in this piece). ... Other stories found here include a 1959 attempt by 21 Detroit families at relocating to Alaska for the sake of homesteading, the history of mail-order-brides in the far north, William Seward s lone visit to the territory he purchased for America, the naming of Juneau, the abolishment of income taxes and Lt. Henry Allen s epic 1885 traverse of of the Interior. Even hardcore students of Alaska history are likely to find something here they didn't know. Richly illustrated, littered with insightful (and often very funny) asides, chock full of obscure facts and genuinely fun to read, The Long View deserves a place on the shelf of any Alaska history buff. --David A. James, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Edition details

• Publisher: Ester Republic Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 097492217X
• ISBN 13: 9780974922171
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 225