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.
"[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*
"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*
"This book made a big splash when it debuted in 1973. Keith based
the text on the journals and photography of Richard Proenneke, who,
after racking up years of 50-hour work weeks, did what many of us
only fantasize about: he chucked it all and went to live in the
woods. . . Proenneke has become an icon for naturalists. Though few
will follow Proenneke's lead, his story can be quite
inspiring."
*Library Journal*
"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."
*Boston Globe*
"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*
"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*
"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."
*Burlington Free Press*
"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*
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