For the Sake of the Light

By Tom Sexton (University of Alaska Press, $22.95)

The blurb: This collection of new and selected poems by the former poet laureate of Alaska opens a door on the essence of life in Alaska and Maine. His carefully crafted verse distills the birch and aspen, lynx and ptarmigan, and the snow on high peaks.

Excerpt: "Imagine a woman who was still a child

when the tidal wave destroyed Chenega.

For her, Good Friday must always be

the day when God, like a drunken father,

turned his face away without a word.

On that day, she is always a child

climbing a steep slope behind the village

to escape the surging wave that swallowed

the church and those who gathered there to pray."

Great Destinations: The Alaska Panhandle

By Carol Fowler (The Countryman Press, $19.95)

The blurb: The Alaska Panhandle, or the Inside Passage, is an immense wilderness paradise, a unique 1,000-mile region of glaciers, forests, mountains and hundreds of islands. This guidebook offers everything you need to know to find great places to stay, shop and eat is here, as well as fascinating history, helpful maps and real discoveries off the typical tourist trail.

Excerpt: "Skagway gives access to world-famous, world-class Chilkoot Trail, the 33-mile path blazed by Klondike miners. It also happens to be international. Backpackers cross into Canada at Chilkoot Pass and need passports or certified proof of birth and photo ID. It takes four to five days one way, depending on your fitness level.

"Almost anyone will recognize the famed photo with gold seekers struggling in the snow over the almost vertical pass, or Golden stairs, as it's sometimes known. A map, 'A Hiker's Guide to the Chilkoot Trail,' is available from the Alaska Natural History Association."