Aunt Phil's Trunk, Vol. 1: An Alaska Historian's Collection of Treasured Tales - Softcover

Laurel Downing Bill; Phyllis Downing Carlson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 157833330X ISBN 13: 9781578333301

Publisher: Laudon Enterprises, 2013

Synopsis

Alaska history decoded!
 
Aunt Phil's Trunk Volume One will keep you spellbound!
 
If you enjoy reading entertaining nonfiction short stories, then you will love Aunt Phil's Trunk Volume One. Not only do these easy-to-read pages keep you hooked to see what happens next, they also offer a window into the past through hundreds of historical photographs.
 
Did you know?

• Mysterious petroglyphs dot Alaska's coastlines?
• The last shot of the American Civil War boomed in the Bering Sea?
• The Klondike Gold Rush began after a man dreamed of salmon with golden scales?

 
These and dozens more little-known stories fill the pages of Aunt Phil's Trunk Volume One and share Alaska's colorful past up to 1900.
 
Anyone interested in Alaska history will love this book. It is full of interesting and little-known facts about the state. The stories behind these facts are colorful and entertaining. - Writer's Digest
 
Richly assembled with historic photos and rarely told tales, Aunt Phil's Trunk is an engaging addition to Alaska's storytelling legacy.- Alex DeMarban, Editor, First Alaskans magazine
 
What an amazing treasure. I pride myself on being a historian, with a minor in Alaska history; but I can truly take a quick backseat to this marvelous work. - John Gailey, tour director, John Hall's Alaska
 
More than 20,000 copies sold worldwide!
 
Order your copy of Aunt Phil's Trunk Volume One now!
 


Read More Here:
The Aunt Phil's Trunk Alaska history series is noted for its easy-to-read short stories and hundreds of historical photographs that complement the entertaining nonfiction writing. Suitable for ages 9 to 99, the first book in the series shares stories from early Alaska up to 1900.

Volume 1 kicks off the series by showcasing the arrival of Alaska Natives thousands of years ago. Anthropologists theorize the Natives traveled from Asia across the Bering Sea Land Bridge and settled in various parts of Alaska. Stories in this section include mighty shaman, mysterious petroglyphs and fierce battles against Russian fur traders, who arrived in the mid-1700s.

After Alaska became a possession of the United States in 1867, Americans began streaming into the Last Frontier. Explorers, businessmen, miners and crooks came north and changed Alaska forever. The discovery of gold brought even more people.

Gold Rushes

• Juneau-Douglas
• Cook Inlet
• Klondike Gold Rush
• PLUS photo essay of the various routes the gold-crazed stampeders forged

Other stories in this volume include how Catholic nuns mingled with rough-and-tumble adventurers on the banks of Nome, the last shot of the Civil War boomed in the Bering Sea and infamous conman Soapy Smith served as an angel of mercy before he became the undisputed king of crime in Skagway.

This volume is a treasure trove of short stories about Alaska's colorful past and is filled with close to 350 rare historical photographs.

About this title

About the Author:

Third-generation Alaskan Laurel Downing Bill has turned her Alaska historian aunt's work into a lovely series of books that highlight Alaska's colorful past. Downing Bill earned a degree in journalism from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2003 and wrote several award-winning articles while employed as a reporter for the Anchorage Chronicle newspaper from 2002-2004. Her weekly Alaska history column, titled "Aunt Phil's Trunk," was a favorite with the paper's subscribers. Bill's award-winning stories have appeared in newspapers throughout Alaska, as well as Alaska Magazine, Mushing magazine and First Alaskans magazine.

Review:

Review by David James – Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Aunt Phil's Trunk Volume One was an unexpected gem.... deserves to be snatched up by anyone with an interest in our state's rich past.

Review by Tania Staley, Readers’ Favorite – 5 Stars
I highly recommend this book for history buffs and anyone wanting to know more about Alaska’s heritage ... I look forward into to delving into Phyllis Downing Carlson and Laurel Downing Bill’s volumes 2-5 of Aunt Phil’s Trunk, as well.

Review by Michelle Stanley, Readers’ Favorite – 5 Stars
Laurel Downing Bill did a remarkable job writing this book and illustrating it with hundreds of historical photographs....

Review by Kathryn Bennett, Readers’ Favorite – 5 Stars
... I love the format that Laurel Downing Bill uses to tell the history of Alaska ... I am looking forward to reading more books in this series and I would give this book a big recommendation for history lovers. ...

Review by Jack Magnus, Readers’ Favorite – 5 Stars
Phyllis Downing Carlson and her niece, Laurel Downing Bill's pictorial history, Aunt Phil's Trunk: Volume One Bringing Alaska's History Alive, does what it sets out to do – it really does bring Alaska's history alive ... and is highly recommended.

Review by Anne-Marie Reynolds, Readers’ Favorite – 5 Stars
Aunt Phil's Trunk Volume One by Laurel Downing Bill was a fascinating read ... the book has been written in a wonderfully narrative way that makes you feel as though you have been transported there ... Praise to Laurel Bill for a fantastic journey, one I want to continue.

About this edition

• Publisher: Laudon Enterprises
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 157833330X
• ISBN 13: 9781578333301
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 344