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Alaska (novel)





CONTENTS


Published in 1988 by Random House , ''Alaska'' is 868 pages long. Along with the reading, Michener provides a table of contents, a list of acknowledgements, and a ''Fact and Fiction'' section. The third item offers the reader an insight into what occurred in real life and what the author invented.


DRAWINGS AND MAPS


Throughout the novel are (at the beginnings of chapters) and maps ( Frontispiece , pages 102-103, and inside back cover). There is also an amount of impressive Calligraphy . The maps are credited to Jean Paul Tremblay . Carole Lowenstein is responsible for the book's physical and calligraphy.


JACKET DESIGN


The jacket of ''Alaska'' features an illustration on the front and a Photograph of Michener on the back. The illustration is an Oval -shaped sketch of items easily identifiable with the state of Alaska .

They include ( Clockwise ):
  • a Snow -capped Mountain

  • a sky of Pink , Orange , and Yellow hues

  • an amphibious Airplane (known as a 'bush plane' in the state)

  • a dark gray-green hill

  • a floating, craggy Iceberg

  • calm, highly-reflective water

  • a small figure in a Kayak

  • a tiny village at the foot of another hill


The photograph of James Michener, on the back cover, was taken not too long before his death in 1997 .

The jacket design and aforementioned sketch are credited to Wendell Minor . Michener's picture is credited to Michael A. Lewis of the Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska .


FACT AND FICTION


Michener uses factual people or places in fictional events. He also invents characters, places, and like any other Novelist . ''Alaska'' is not a history textbook.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS



SYNOPSIS



Chapter I: The Clashing Terranes

A sweeping, yet compelling, description of the formation of the North American continent. The reader follows the development of the Alaskan terrain over millennia.

===Chapter II:


Chapter III: People of the North



Chapter IV: The Explorers



Chapter V: The Duel



Chapter VI: Lost Worlds



Chapter VII: Giants in Chaos



Chapter VIII: Gold



Chapter IX: The Golden Beaches of Nome



Chapter X: Salmon



Chapter XI: The Rail Belt



Chapter XII: The Rim of Fire