Category Archives: Book Reviews

In Gentler Valleys Roaming

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Helen Hegener

Julie Verrette’s Summer Place Kennel provided a safe haven for retired sled dogs from some of the premier racers in the world, such as four-time Iditarod Champion Susan Butcher and Yukon Quest Champion Aliy Zirkle. Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Books, Iditarod, Memoirs, News & Information, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Alaska, Aliy Zirkle, Iditarod, Iditarod Trail, Julie Verrette, sled dog race, sled dogs, Susan Butcher | Leave a comment

The Tender Life

Posted on November 21, 2024 by Helen Hegener

In The Tender Life, writer Anne Winters tells stories from her 20 years of working and living aboard two classic wooden boats with her husband Ron as they worked the Alaska fisheries from south of Ketchikan to way north of Nome. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, fishing, Memoirs, News & Information | Tagged Anne Winters, commercial fishing, fishing, Memoirs, Northern Light Media | Leave a comment

Review: History of Sled Dogs

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Helen Hegener

The March, 2024 issue of Alaska magazine includes a very nice review by Alaskan writer and book critic David A. James, who writes about Northern Light Media’s 2023 book, The History of Sled Dogs in North America, by Helen Hegener. From the review: … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Gold Rush History, News & Information, Newsletter, Sled Dog History | Tagged David A. James, Helen Hegener, mushing, mushing history, Northern Light Media, sled dogs | Leave a comment

Ordering Books

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Helen Hegener

Books by Alaskan author Helen Hegener, including The History of Sled Dogs in North America, The Alaska Railroad, Alaskan Roadhouses, The First Iditarod, The Matanuska Colony Project and many more. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, Book Reviews, Books, Colony Barns, Explorers, Gold Rush History, Iditarod, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, Roadhouses, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races, Yukon Quest | Tagged Alaska, Alaska History, Alaska Railroad, All Alaska Sweepstakes, barns, gold rush, Helen Hegener, Iditarod, Iditarod Trail, Klondike gold rush, Matanuska Colony, mushing history, Nome, Northern Light Media, Revenue Cutter Service, Roadhouses, sled dogs, Yukon Quest | Leave a comment

Reviewed: Dr. Stein’s Book

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Helen Hegener

I was delighted to see my July/August issue of Alaska Magazine included this splendid review of the book I published in 2021, “I Wish You Could Come Too: The Alaska Diaries of Dr. James Taylor White,” by the late Dr. Gary C. Stein. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Gold Rush History, News & Information | Tagged Book Reviews, Dr. James Taylor White, Gary C. Stein, Northern Light Media, Revenue Cutter Bear | 3 Comments

Northern Journey

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Helen Hegener

In his newest book. Northern Journey, Lew Freedman tells the stories behind the adventures which became his award-winning books and articles. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Explorers, Iditarod, News & Information, Sled Dog History, Sled Dog Races | Tagged Alaska, authors, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Iditarod, Lew Freedman, Northern Light Media, sled dogs | Leave a comment

Review of Dr. J. T. White’s Diaries

Posted on November 23, 2022 by Helen Hegener

A good review of Dr. Gary C. Stein’s 2021 book, “I Wish You Could Come Too”: The Alaska Diaries of Dr. James Taylor White, by Fairbanks-based reviewer David A. James, appeared in the Sunday, November 20, issue of the Anchorage Daily News. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, News & Information | Tagged Dr. James Taylor White, Gary C. Stein, Revenue Cutter Bear, Revenue Cutter Service | Leave a comment

Matanuska Colony Barns

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Helen Hegener

Today the Matanuska Colony barns are an iconic reminder of what has been called the last great pioneering adventure in America. I have been living with, admiring, and photographing these picturesque barns for decades, and in 2012 I turned my longtime interest into a book, a video, and a website. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, Colony Barns, DVD & Video, Matanuska Colony, Matanuska Valley, News & Information, photographs, Videos | Tagged barns, books, Helen Hegener, Matanuska Colony | Leave a comment

The Yukon Quest Trail

Posted on December 29, 2019 by Helen Hegener

The 2020 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race begins in Fairbanks at 11:00 am on February 1, and runs to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory; the Yukon Quest 300 starts at 3:00 pm the same day and runs to Circle, on the Yukon River. There are many exciting books about the race, and many written by the mushers who have run the race, but one book focuses on the trail between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, highlighting the incredible route followed by those mushers who accept the very real challenge of the Yukon Quest. Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska History, Book Reviews, Books, News & Information, Sled Dog Races, Yukon Quest | Tagged Alaska, Dawson City, Eric Vercammen, Fairbanks, Helen Hegener, Lance Mackey, mushing, mushing history, Northern Light Media, Robert Service, Scott Chesney, sled dog race, sled dog racing, sled dogs, The Spell of the Yukon, Whitehorse, Yukon Quest | Leave a comment

A New Books Site

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Helen Hegener

I have reworked an old website I built a few years ago and it is now a showcase for my Baker’s Dozen books on Alaskan history. The front page displays all the book covers, and clicking on any book title will take you to an in-depth description and ordering information for that book. Continue reading →