Along Alaska's Great River by Frederick Schwatka - First Edition

Along Alaska's Great River by Frederick Schwatka - First Edition

Today, I met Frederick Schwatka, an Army lieutenant and explorer who, in 1883, floated with six other men down all 1,300 miles of British Columbia’s and Alaska’s wild, unforgiving Yukon River on a purpose-built river boat.

Did I say boat? I meant raft— a simple, unwieldy, 16’x42’, almost silly-looking log raft rowed at max speed 1-mile-per-hour (hold onto your fur-lined hats!)—for one of the most important river journeys in western exploration.

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Holding History: 1744 Printing of The Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels

Holding History: 1744 Printing of The Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels

“Feels pretty complete,” I said as I held the ten-pound, nine-hundred-page beast of a book. Published in 1744 as the definitive collection of world travels, The Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels Consisting of Above Six Hundred of the Most Authentic Writers…(the title goes on forever)…by John Harris, is a fascinating read. While the theme of The Principal Voyages and Discoveries came courtesy of the Wu Tang Clan’s C.R.E.A.M. (cash rules everything around me), this tome leans more towards “knowledge is power.”

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