In Darkest Alaska Travel and Empire Along the Inside Passage Robert
Campbell "Scholars of U.S. history will not want to miss this
well-written and compelling book. . . . "In Darkest Alaska"
illuminates a realm of potent anxieties about natives, nature, and
national expansion which have shaped American culture and politics
right down to the present day."--Louis S. Warren, author of
"Buffalo Bill's America: William Cody and the Wild West Show" "A
work of sweeping erudition and insight. If, as he so convincingly
shows, Alaska was a Rorschach test for the American imagination,
then Campbell is the peerless interpreter of its imperial and
racial foundations. This is a serious trip in the best sense
imaginable."--James C. Scott, Yale University "One of the most
sophisticated and important studies of western American travel and
tourism and one of the most significant histories of Alaska. . . .
A brilliant study on many levels and a superb inaugural volume in
the new Nature and Culture in America Series. It is theoretically
rich, structurally innovative, very well written, deeply
researched, and beautifully illustrated."--"American Historical
Review" "The environmental particulars of Alaska (and the Northwest
Coast in general) present a wonderful backdrop for his human
history. . . . Written with style and grace, this carefully crafted
work rests on a firm documentary foundation."--"Journal of American
History" Before Alaska became a mining bonanza, it was a scenic
bonanza, a place larger in the American imagination than in its
actual borders. Prior to the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1897,
thousands of scenic adventurers journeyed along the Inside Passage,
the nearly thousand-mile sea-lane that snakes up the Pacific coast
from Puget Sound to Icy Strait. Both the famous--including
wilderness advocate John Muir, landscape painter Albert Bierstadt,
and photographers Eadweard Muybridge and Edward Curtis--and the
long forgotten--a gay ex-sailor, a former society reporter, an
African explorer, and a neurasthenic Methodist minister--returned
with fascinating accounts of their Alaskan journeys, becoming
advance men and women for an expanding United States. "In Darkest
Alaska" explores the popular images conjured by these travelers'
tales, as well as their influence on the broader society. Drawing
on lively firsthand accounts, archival photographs, maps, and other
ephemera of the day, historian Robert Campbell chronicles how
Gilded Age sightseers were inspired by Alaska's bounty of
evolutionary treasures, tribal artifacts, geological riches, and
novel thrills to produce a wealth of highly imaginative reportage
about the territory. By portraying the territory as a "Last West"
ripe for American conquest, tourists helped pave the way for
settlement and exploitation. Robert Campbell teaches history at
Montana State University, Bozeman. His work has appeared in
"American Quarterly" and "Pacific Historical Review." Nature and
Culture in America 2007 360 pages 6 x 9 39 illus. ISBN
978-0-8122-2048-3 Paper $24.95s 16.50 ISBN 978-0-8122-0152-9 Ebook
$24.95s 16.50 World Rights American History Short copy: Prior to
the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1897, travelers returned from
Alaska's Inside Passage with fascinating accounts of its wonders.
Historian Robert Campbell demonstrates how these tourists served as
shock troops of the gold rush by portraying Alaska as a "Last West"
ripe for American conquest.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
