National Geographic Treasures of Alaska: The Last Great American Wilderness (National Geographic Destinations)

Most folks from "outside", as Alaskans refer to lower '48ers, just don't get the sheer scale of Alaska, its vast distances, its mixtures of climate and geography and people, and its still largely intact natural wilderness. National Geographic's 2010 edition of "Treasures of Alaska" aims to make good some of that shortfall. For the rest, you will just have to come see it yourself."Treasure of Alaska" mixes the thoughtful prose of Jeff Rennicke, an observant former park ranger, and the stunning photographs of Michael Melford. In a series of wonderfully illustrated essays, the authors introduce the various regions of Alaska, from rainy and heavily wooded Southeast; to the glaciers and volcanoes along the Gulf of Alaska; to the stunning mountain terrain of Denali and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks and Chugach State Park; to the interior of Alaska and its Gold Rush history; and finally to Alaska's abundant wildlife. Intermingled through the prose and the pictures are Alaskans themselves, a unique collection of people for a unique land."Treasures of Alaska" is highly recommended as an introduction to today's Alaska, if you haven't been; and as a wonderful souvenir, if you have.

The quality of prose and photography is wonderful. We purchased this (and many other Alaska reference works) for an upcoming three-month trip to Alaska. I really wanted to "see" where I was headed beforehand and while you can certainly jump around on the web to various Alaska photosites--here it is, all in one beautifully done compilation. And, it has useful, well-written information!

Great pictures and information in book

Oh my, what a great surprise. This book was awesome. The stories were filled with facts and history, but were written in story fashion with wonderful descriptions. Would recommend this reading before an Alaska visit for a sense of what is to come. And, as always NatGeo photos are above and beyond. Buy it and read it!

Beautiful tour, interesting overview of AK.

Purchased as a gift for a colleague moving to Alaska. Great gift.

We were going to Alaska but I wanted to be sure we had good photos of the things we saw. National Geographic is fantastic!

All pictures. Not much information.

Great photography and well written articles. Good introduction to Alaska

An excellent book with a good balance of information and images. As expected quality for National Geographic. Very happy with book, would buy more in series.