One Man's Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey
by Richard Louis Proenneke, Sam Keith, Nick Offerman (Foreword by)Richard Louis Proenneke
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Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of when Dick Proenneke first broke ground and made his mark in the Alaskan wilds in 1968, this bestselling memoir features an all-new foreword by Nick Offerman plus color photographs not seen in print for over 20 years.
To live in a pristine land unchanged by man...to roam a wilderness through which few other humans have passed...to choose an idyllic site, cut trees, and build a log cabin...to be a self-sufficient craftsman, making what is needed from materials available...to be not at odds with the world, but content with one's own thoughts and company...
Thousands have had such dreams, but Dick Proenneke lived them. He found a place, built a cabin, and stayed to become part of the country. One Man's Wilderness is a simple account of the day-to-day explorations and activities he carried out alone, and the constant chain of nature's events that kept him company. From Dick's journals, and with firsthand knowledge of his subject and the setting, Sam Keith has woven a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond.
Interviews & Essays
Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
Richard Proenneke retired from his job as an operator and mechanic at age fifty to live the next thirty years of his life in the wilds of Twin Lakes, Alaska. There he built a cabin, hunted and gathered his own food, educated himself as a naturalist, and recorded his activities and findings in journals and on film. His time was later made into the 2003 PBS documentary Alone in the Wilderness and written in the book One Man's Wilderness , published in 1973 by his friend Sam Keith. Proenneke returned to civilization in 1999 and died at the age of 82 in 2003 in Hemet, California.
Sam Keith met Richard Proenneke in 1952 at the Kodiak Naval Base in Alaska, where the two became friends exploring the Kodiak and Afognak Islands together. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in English, with aspirations to become a writer. His 1973 book One Man's Wilderness became a bestseller and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide. Keith died in 2003.
Nick Offerman is an actor, author, comedian and woodworker who is known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. He co-hosts the crafting show Making It with Amy Poehler, and heads Offerman Workshop, a collective of woodworkers and makers in Los Angeles.
"Somehow Proenneke understood that his simple efforts; build shelter, stay warm, find/hunt food, observe nature, respect life, would be well worth documenting, and boy howdy was he right. If you like hearing a TV chef walk you through a recipe for enchiladas, just wait until you consume the creation of a log home in this volume, from the ground up."
"[Proenneke's] journals from the text of this handsome book, and his sparkling color slides illustrate it with a beauty that tugs at your heart and sets your heels to itching just a little. You owe yourself the pleasure of this book."
Biloxi Sun Herald
"It is soul-reading — the simplicity of a man's inner feelings stated in terms which leave no misunderstandings . . . A classic of its kind."
Lansing State Journal
"The best modern piece of prose about Alaska, the one that gives the truest picture of what living in the bush today is like for the lone individual."
Anchorage Daily News
"Richard Proenneke, an emigre from Iowa to Alaska, kept a journal during the time he was fulfilling his dream of living in an altogether undeveloped part of Alaska. Parts of the journal have been made into a book by Sam Keith, along with colored photos that prove Alaska is certainly one of, if not the, most beautiful places anywhere."
"This is a record of a man in our own time who went into the bush. It is the story of a dream shared by many, fulfilled by few, brought into sharp focus by the beautiful color photographs and the simple account of Proenneke's life."
"Many of us will never realize the dream of such an escape from our hectic, complex life to that of the solitude of the wilderness. But in the pages of this book we can share with a man who lived his dream. The book is certain to bring much pleasure to anyone who loves the outdoors."
Portsmouth Times
"Sometimes it is difficult for a person to know their strengths and weaknesses while living among others; one way to discover them is to live alone. Of course, most people will never venture far from the comforts of home, but Proenneke felt the call of the wild and lived the second part of his life in Alaska. . . . Keith and Proenneke were coworkers on Kodiak Island and formed a friendship that lasted for decades. . . Keith's writing is clear and descriptive; one can sense each strike of the ax and draw of the knife. The reader feels he is experiencing the adventure as well. The journal descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness flow from the page to the reader."
Foreword Reviews
Portsmouth Times (OH)
"It is soul-reading -- the simplicity of a man's inner feelings stated in terms which leave no misunderstandings . . . A classic of its kind."
Lansing State Journal (MI)
Sometimes it is difficult for a person to know their strengths and weaknesses while living among others; one way to discover them is to live alone. Of course, most people will never venture far from the comforts of home, but Proenneke felt the call of the wild and lived the second part of his life in Alaska. . .
Keith and Proenneke were coworkers on Kodiak Island and formed a friendship that lasted for decades. . . Keith's writing is clear and descriptive; one can sense each strike of the ax and draw of the knife. The reader feels he is experiencing the adventure as well. The journal descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness flow from the page to the reader.
Foreword Reviews - Alan L. White
Burlington Free Press (VT)
"Proenneke's daily journal and superb photographs are absolutely must reading for all kindred spirits."
WNIC Radio
"A story of one man's adventure in the remote Twin Lakes area, where he built a cabin and overcame nature's challenges."
Cleveland Plain Dealer (OH)
"A simply written book . . . I finished it in just a few nights, and was sorry when I did."
Gary Post-Tribune (IN)
"A remarkable record of an uncomplicated life in an uncomplicated world. Dick's gorgeous photography shows the place he calls home — the wildlife, the breathtaking countryside, and the step-by-step growth of his cabin."
Kodiak Daily Mirror