Compass American Guides: Alaska's Inside Passage, 2nd Edition

by Ann Chandonnet, Don Pitcher (Photographer)

Compass American Alaska's Inside Passage  taps a growing travel market. Alaska is the world’s third most popular cruise destination, attracting about one million cruise ship passengers a year. While other guides offer recommendations on where to stay and what to see, none combine that practical information with the depth and literary quality of a Compass American Guide.
In this thoroughly readable book, travelers, locals, and armchair travelers alike will find a mix of stunning color photos, sightseeing scoops, historical background, fun FAQs, and evocative, inspiring descriptions of this breathtaking region. Following the route of a fantasy cruise from south (Ketchikan) to north (Sitka), the guide takes readers through all the incredible attractions, including Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan’s totem poles, and Skagway’s historic Gold Rush District.  The explorations of each port of call are organized by the amount of time visitors have on shore. In addition to natural and historic sights, the guide includes favorite places to eat and shop in each town, and tips on everything from animal-watching to packing the night gear.
Writer Ann Chandonnet lived in Alaska for more than 30 years and is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Alaska Heritage Seafood Cookbook, and Alaska’s Arts, Crafts & Collectibles . Photographer Don Pitcher spent 15 summers in the wilds of Alaska and Wyoming and now works as a photographer and travel writer, basing his travels from Homer, Alaska.

220 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2006

Reviews

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

researching going, plans on hold due to covid, but the book is informative.

[Beth Cato · Rating 3 out of 5]

This travel guide, published by Fodor's, was a purchase I made at the VNSA book sale in Phoenix a few months ago. We'll be doing an Alaskan cruise this summer and this book is about the exact area we'll be visiting. I have avoided buying other books on the subject because I know they'll be out of date quickly; since this came out in 2006, I knew that would be an issue as well, but it was also 25-cents with the money going to charity.

I've already done a lot of online research on ports like Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. What I really wanted was a different perspective--a bit of history, maybe some insight into a place I'd gloss over when I skimmed a web page, but might like if I knew more about it. This book accomplished that. One of the advantages is that the author, Ann Chandonnet, is a local; most online material is by tourists. The narrative is highly readable, gentle and intelligent all at once. I appreciated her emphasis on buying native art. The history sections were especially nice, brief as they were. And the photography--wow. Don Pitcher's work is worthy of wall prints. He really captured the majesty of the state.

Towards the back is where the publishing date became more of an issue. There's a section on recommended restaurants and shops. I Googled a number of the restaurants and found many were closed. This is not a fault of the book; I knew what I was buying an older edition.

In all, a nice supplement to online research.

[Kathleen Sherf]

Well done, I enjoyed it and now want to GO!