Books

“Arctic Traverse” by Michael Engelhard is an exceedingly well-crafted work that combines travel with natural history, anthropology and cultural concerns.

The Ketchikan artist’s work has become iconic in Alaska, blending bold psychedelic colors, natural science, surreal sensibilities and, of course, humor.

In his book that acts as both a memoir and a photographic journal, David Boxley documents his journey as a carver in Metlakatla.

In “Rivers and Ice,” author Susan Pope’s account spans five generations of Alaskans, investigating what draws people to Alaska and also what draws any person into, away from, and back to family.

Kayaking from Vancouver Island to Alaska, author David Norwell documented his trip with both diary entries and watercolor paintings.

The works of three Alaskans are featured within the latest “Alaska Quarterly Review,” including poets Sara Eliza Johnson of Fairbanks and Mistee St. Clair of Juneau.

Their work is rooted in Indigenous cultures and northern themes, peppered with fantastical elements.

A teenage pregnancy is at the center of the young-adult novel “The One-Man Iris Davis Fan Club,” which features the continued enterprises of Alaskan protagonist Sam Barger.

Following up on his esteemed first novel “There There,” Orange has again brilliantly succeeded in enlarging and complicating what it means to be American.

“May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth” is a collection of nearly 200 letters expressing the early plans and promise of the ill-fated mission.

“Teaching in the Dark” by Genét Simone puts readers beside her in Shishmaref, with vivid descriptions of school and village life.

In “Treaty Justice,” author Charles Wilkinson examines the Boldt Decision, a ruling in Washington state that continues to influence issues of Native sovereignty and resource allotments well beyond those borders.

Loaded with fantastic photos, the book brings to the page an overlooked piece of Alaska’s Gold Rush history.

Strong characters and plenty of “real” Alaska moments bolster the debut novel from D. MacNeill Parker, “Death in Dutch Harbor.”

Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson’s young-adult novel, “Eagle Drums,” has earned a Newbery Honor and an American Indian Youth Literature Award book honor. She said it gives her “hope for future Indigenous writers.”

His 1968 debut novel, “House Made of Dawn,” is credited as the start of contemporary Native American literature and tells of a World War II soldier who struggles to fit back in at home.

“Natchiq Grows Up: The Story of a Ringed Seal Pup and Her Changing Home” has its roots in scientific research about ringed seals in Northwest Alaska that was conducted in the 1980s.

In his new book, Eric Wade puts the squirrel at the center of the natural universe and investigates how they navigate all things big and small.

This season readers can delve into new books from Benjamin Stevenson, Kat Ailes, Laura R. King, CJ Wray and Janice Hallett.

Many old-time Alaskans have written memoirs, but few besides Elsa Pedersen have had the writing skills to bring their lives and times into such readable literary form.

Set in Palm Springs, “The Sand Garden” showcases Jones’ knack for evocation and a well-timed twist along with co-writer Mary Wasche.

Riddled with cliches and a bewildering story line, the book was popular with French readers, but doesn’t quite click in the state its story was set.

Through Northern Light Media, Hegener has published her own works as well as books from other authors, often focused on mushing and other Alaska history.