Alaska, called the Last Frontier for good reason, is a very special part of the United States. Physically seperated from the lower 48 states, its northern latitudes, pastel light, Native Americans, lack of roads, and miles of wilderness give it a unique and magical quality. The landscape is dominated by mountain ranges, tundra plains, rain forests, glaciers, and an abundance of wildlife - from moose, caribou, and grizzly bears to eagles and snowy owls. Alaska is a land of superlatives.Professional photographer Fred Hirschmann, a long-time resident of Alaska, has captured the essence of this grand state through his cameras' lenses. See Denali, the highest mountain in North America; Anchorage, Alaska's largest city with a population of more than 260 thousand; Mendenhall Glacier; totem poles and ice fishing; dog sledding and subsistence whaling.

Author Suzan Nightingale's intimate look at Alaska gives a close-up view of life in the 49th state. Through the eyes of Natives, long-time residents, and newcomers - people who live in the cities, on Alaska's Southeast Coast, in isolated villages, along the waterways, in the Aleutian Islands - Nightingale's writing shows the diversity of lifestyles, landscapes, and peoples that make up Alaska.

A sensitive combination of Hirschmann's powerful images and Nightingale's evocative words portray our largest and most unique state in a way never seen before. This is "Alaska."