About the Book
Fans of the Alaskan classic ONE MAN’S WILDERNESS will enjoy reading this memoir of how its author, Sam Keith, and its subject, Dick Proenneke, first met.
After serving as a US Marine during World War II and attending college on the GI Bill, Sam Keith decided to seek adventure and acceptance in Alaska. He arrived on Kodiak Island in July, 1952, where he secured a job as a laborer on the Adak Navy base.
He befriended a group of like-minded men there, including Dick Proenneke, who shared a love of the outdoors, hard work, and self-reliance. Keith explored the wilds of South Central Alaska while working on the Navy base, and later as a Stream Guard and Enforcement Patrolman. In his hunting and fishing trips with Dick and his friends, Keith found almost everything he sought.
But at the end of three years, Keith decided to go Outside to pursue other dreams. Dick Proenneke tells him, “Sam, you know right well you don’t want to leave this country. Don’t give up on it. Me and you got to figure something out.”
In 1973, Keith went on to write ONE MAN'S WILDERNESS: AN ALASKAN ODYSSEY, based on his dear friend’s journals and photography. It was reissued in 1999 and won a National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA). In 2003, portions of text from the book and some of Proenneke's 16mm movies were used in Alone in the Wilderness, which began appearing on US public television stations. The documentary follows Proenneke as he builds a log cabin with only hand tools, and includes reflections on wildlife, weather, and the natural scenery he sees around him.
Sam Keith passed away in 2003. But in 2013, his son-in-law, children’s book author/illustrator Brian Lies, discovered in an archive box in their garage a book manuscript, originally written in 1974 after the publication of ONE MAN’S WILDERNESS.
FIRST WILDERNESS is the story of Keith’s own experiences, at times harrowing, funny, and fascinating. Along with the original manuscript are photos and excerpts from his journals, letters, and notebooks, woven in to create a compelling and poignant memoir of search and discovery.
Foreword by Nick Jans and Afterword by Laurel Lies (Sam Keith's daughter.)
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Nick Jans
Map of Alaska with inset of Kodiak/Lake Clark/Kenai region
Introduction/Buried Treasure by Brian Lies
Preface Longings
Chapter 1 Out of the Nest
Chapter 2 The Jumping-Off Place
Chapter 3 The Transplanting
Chapter 4 Taking Hold
Chapter 5 Local Color
Chapter 6 Winter Smorgasbord
Chapter 7 Days of the Bear
Chapter 8 Summer Sojourns
Chapter 9 Kenai Moose Hunt
Chapter 10 Comings and Goings
Chapter 11 The Kittiwake
Chapter 12 The Bay of the Winds
Chapter 13 Enforcement Patrolman
Chapter 14 Driving Out
Epilogue A Nest of my Own
Afterword On His Shoulders by Laurel Keith Lies
About the Author :
Sam Keith’s (1921– March 28, 2003) most notable work was the best-seller ONE MAN'S WILDERNESS: AN ALASKAN ODYSSEY in which he edited the journals and photographs of his friend Richard Proenneke’s (May 4, 1916 – April 20, 2003) solo experiences in Alaska. The book was reissued in 1999 and won a National Outdoor Book Award. Text from the book was used in the documentary seen on PBS, ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS www.dickproenneke.com. After the release of the video and its frequent appearance on PBS membership drives, it became a runaway best seller. The close friends passed away within thirty days of each other. More information available at www.samkeith.net and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Wilderness-by-Sam-Keith/625127200891030
Foreword writer Nick Jans is one of Alaska’s most recognized and prolific writers. A contributing editor to Alaska Magazine and a member of USA Today’s board of editorial contributors, he’s written nine books and hundreds of magazine articles, and contributed to many anthologies. In addition, Jans is a professional nature photographer, specializing in wildlife and landscapes in remote locations. He currently lives in Juneau with his wife, Sherrie, and travels widely in Alaska. www.nickjans.com
Review :
"The synchronicity of Sam Keith and Dick Proenneke's friendship and bond through a love of the wilderness and an ability to record their adventures left us with the gift of ONE MAN'S WILDERNESS. Now, once again Sam's words dance across the pages, bringing the reader on their own journey into the wilderness. What a treasure for his son-in-law and daughter to find." —Bob Swerer, producer of ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS documentary
“This book is a magic carpet ride back to an Alaska we can all learn from and be inspired by. Thank you, Sam Keith.” —Kim Heacox, author of THE ONLY KAYAK and JOHN MUIR AND THE ICE THAT STARTED A FIRE.
“Sam Keith’s ONE MAN’S WILDERNESS fired the imaginations of many to discover Alaska’s wild places, including my own journey to homestead a piece of wilderness in the Far North. Now, FIRST WILDERNESS, Keith’s compelling story, comes full-circle to offer a glimpse of why dreamers continue to be drawn to Alaska’s mystical wild not only to quench their thirst for adventure, but also to seek answers to define their character.” —Roy Corral, photographer, WHAT THE ELDERS HAVE TAUGHT US
"I was so excited to read this book! I love ONE MAN'S WILDERNESS and the inspiring account of self-discovery by Sam Keith is a great companion to that. I can't wait to share it with readers."—Joni, Maria's Bookshop, Durango, CO.
Sam Keith is remembered for chronicling the life in the Alaska wilderness of his friend Dick Proenneke, arguably the world’s most famous recluse. He did it in One Man’s Wilderness, which has sold 400,000 copies since its publication in 1973. The book, along with movie footage Keith shot, was the basis for one of PBS’s most popular documentaries. This book is a prequel . . . an unpublished manuscript and letters Keith wrote to his family about his own Alaska adventures. —Foreword Reviews
"Keith's 1972 best seller One Man's Wilderness described his good friend Dick Proenneke's solitary life in the wilds of Alaska. After Keith's death, his son-in-law found this manuscript chronicling the author's own story as a young man in Alaska Territory in the early 1950s. Keith, not knowing what to do with his life, goes to Alaska to find himself and do some writing. He lands a job as a civilian construction worker at a U.S. naval station on Kodiak Island, AK, and is later employed by the Fish and Wildlife Service as a temporary fish warden. He works hard but also has time to explore the remote Alaskan wilderness, taking movies and photographs and spending many hours fishing, as well as participating in bear and moose hunts. His memoir envelops the reader in the sights and sounds of the state's awe-inspiring weather and scenery, details the lives of the plants and animals that inhabit the places Keith visits, and expresses his joy in fishing trips. VERDICT A beautifully written memoir of Alaska that will appeal to nature lovers, fishermen, hunters, and wilderness seekers." —Library Journal
