Steller's Island: Adventures of a Pioneer Naturalist in Alaska

by Dean Littlepage

Book Overview

* Introduces a naturalist and explorer who predated Lewis and Clark and John Muir * Examines the historical legacy of the man whose name graces the Steller's jay, Steller sea lion, Steller's eider,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594850577
• ISBN13: 9781594850578
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books
• Length: 237 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A wide audience will find this absorbing

History, true adventure, travel and science blend in the vivid survey STELLER'S ISLAND: ADVENTURES OF A PIONEER NATURALIST IN ALASKA. Georg Steller predated Lewis and Clark and John Muir and made some amazing discoveries - so it's surprising to note this provides some of rare insights on the man and his legacy - including the only scientific account of the Steller's sea cow before it became extinct. A wide audience will find this absorbing, from any library specializing in Alaskan history to general-interest holdings where patrons seek true-life adventure or tales of scientific discovery. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

Voyages of Discovery

Traveling the breadth of Russia and sailing east from Kamchatka with Bering across the north Pacific, Steller encounters frustrating, and at times harrowing, conditions and amazing creatures in his explorations of what we now know as maritime Alaska. The author weaves his own journey to one of Steller's study sites into an historic account of these voyages of discovery. Simply a great read. Looking forward to more stories of Alaska and the people of the maritime Pacific Northwest by this author. Highly recommended.

Steller's Island

Interesting account of Steller's explorations, juxtaposed with a modern journey -- reminds me in that sense of Jonathan Waterman's Mount St. Elias book, which is also recommended. Contains information on Pacific Northwest wildlife, but also on native people, shipwrecks, truly stupid explorer mistakes, and more; entertainingly written. Kind of makes one think, to realize how many species either barely survived the advent of Europeans or didn't survive at all, and to be reminded how many of them are in danger again today.

Great book; too bad we don't have more of Steller's research

Georg Steller was a German scientist who eventually went to Russia and became a naturalist on Vitus Bering's second expedition to eastern Siberia and the eastern Arctic. He identified hundreds of plant species in just a few hours of landfall on an Alaskan island. He also was the first European to closely examine animals such as the Steller's sea lion, Steller's sea cow (now extinct) and others. Unfortunately, many of his research samples didn't make it back to Russia. Bering's flagship, St. Peter, became separated from his other ship, St. Paul, on the way east to Alaska. And, it didn't make it all the way back to Kamchatka. Eventually, after wintering on a sub-arctic island, the crew made a small hooker out of St. Peter's remains and completed the trip. The crew who were left, that is. Many died from scurvy, though Steller saved many others with his knowledge of plants, and observation of Siberian and Aleut customs. The remaining crew forced Steller to leave behind his specimen slides and his dissected sea cow, among other things. He wrote up what he could after getting back to European Russia, but his samples were lost forever. An excellent book on science, natural history, and Arctic exploration, all in one.

Science History at its Best

Ever since the publication of Thomas Kuhn's 'Structure of Scientific Revolutions' science history has been preoccupied with changing paradigms and social influence upon scientific thought. This focus has offered many benefits, but a decided negative is that there are fewer traditional biographies of significant but forgotten scientists. This short volume by Dean Littlepage is an exception to the rule. A throwback to an older style of historiography, it is an excellent account of the life and contributions of Georg Steller, the first naturalist to write an account of the Northwestern Pacific Coast. Georg Steller was a German naturalist, a predecessor of Linneaus, and a member of the early Russian expeditions to map the Pacific coast of North America. Steller was a multi-talented product of the Enlightenment. He spoke several languages and received formal training in theology, medicine, and biology. After teaching in Germany for a short stint, he moved to Russia and joined the newly formed Russian Academy of Science. He joined Captain Bering (for whom the Bering strait is named) and in a visit to Kayak Island began the first scientific exploration of the Northwest. But Steller was much more than just a talented naturalist (he collected 140 specimens in a mere 6 hours on Kayak Island.) He was also an extraordinary physician who correctly hypothesized that a diet heavy in green vegetables would fend of scurvy centuries before the discovery of vitamin C. His scientific background ultimately saved the crew of the St. Peter, Bering's ship, in the face of disaster. The challenges facing the crew shipwrecked for the winter are truly gripping and it is hard to put the book down as Littlepage recounts this period. This book makes a for a fascinating read. The author not only notes the breadth of Steller's scientific discoveries, but traces the fates of the animals he wrote about in his best known work 'Beasts of the Sea.' Many were nearly hunted to extinction while environmental changes threaten others. The Steller Sea Cow is now extinct and all that remains is Seller's description. In all, this makes for a wonderful book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in reading some traditional science history with profound implications for today's world.