Tin Can Country

Tin Can Country, edited by Anjuli Grantham and published by Clausen Memorial Museum, takes a historical look at canneries and their place in the social, political, and economic history of Southeast Alaska. Though the canneries included are from Southeast, the stories are relevant to much of coastal Alaska. Grantham writes, “…canneries are places where salmon are put into cans. But in the years following the establishment of the first canneries in Alaska in 1878, they have become much more… They are workplaces. They are homes to watchmen in the winter and workers in the summer. They are where Alaska families have been made, where technological shifts changed the way the world eats… In short, canneries are places that have made, shaped, and been the setting for Alaska history.” Beyond the fascinating history, Tin Can Country is a beautifully designed book perfect for display or gift giving. It’s filled with historical photographs, recipes, illustrations, and even excerpts from early 20th century salmon cookbooks. And you’re in luck! We include an essay excerpt covering the earliest of those cookbooks in this issue of Edible Alaska. —The Editors

The Salmon Way

Alaska has been a salmon state since long before it became an oil state. A new book of stories and photographs by Amy Gulick, The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind, celebrates the people across the state whose lives are entwined with salmon. Building on her Salmon In The Trees, a book about the Tongass rainforest, Gulick ventures all over Alaska. Her 100 stunning photographs make The Salmon Way an arresting and memorable visual statement, but the writing is equally important. She relays intimate experiences and lessons from commercial fishermen, Alaska Native families, sport fishing guides, and more. She moves from kitchens to boats, from rivers to the ocean. “Regardless of where I went or whom I met in Alaska salmon country, I learned that the common bond among people of wildly different backgrounds is their deep connection to these remarkable fish.” The book includes an afterword by Dr. Jessica Black, a Gwich’in Athabascan leader who calls for a redoubling of efforts to safeguard salmon and their habitat so the lifeways, economies, and cultures connected to them can go on. This book does a stunning and astute job documenting an essential aspect of what makes Alaska the complex homeplace that it is. —The Editors