Pacific Northwest History

More History >

Soul of the City: The Pike Place Public Market
by Alice Shorett and Murray Morgan
A space that annually draws more people than any of Seattle's major sporting and cultural events, Pike Place has a reputation among American markets that is comparable to Les Halles in Paris and Convent Garden in London - the difference being that it has survived.

Washington Then and Now
By Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard
Despite the often astonishing changes in the landscape, authors Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard searched high and low, determined to find the same locations and angles as their predecessors. The result is a portrait that reflects not only the amazing changes brought on by time, but also a record of what has remained in this most scenic western state.

Native Seattle: Histories from the Crossing-Over Place
by Coll Thrush (Author)
Coll Thrush quite brilliantly weaves together accounts of the lived experiences of Native peoples in Seattle with the very different ways in which those experiences came to be recorded in white folklore and place-names and in the environmental fabric of Seattle's cultural landscapes.

The White Cascade
by Gary Krist
The never-before-told story of one of the worst rail disasters in U.S. history in which two trains full of people, trapped high in the Cascade Mountains, are hit by a devastating avalanche

Thunderstruck
by Erik Larson
In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men—Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication—whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time.

Under a Flaming Sky : The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894
by Daniel James Bown
On September 1, 1894 two forest fires converged on the town of Hinckley, Minnesota, trapping over two thousand people. Daniel James Brown recounts the events surrounding the fire in Under a Flaming Sky, the most gripping and comprehensive chronicle of how the dramatic story unfolded.

Serial Killers : Issues Explored Through the Green River Murders
by Tomas Guillen
Serial Killers is intended to fill a void in the serial killer literature. Little has been written about the plethora of challenging issues that permeate the serial killer cases or massive murder investigations. This book provides a collection of essays that focus on some of those rich issues. Taken as a whole, the essays take the perspective of the Green River Murders and the turbulent relationship of the many people it touched over two decades.

The Worst Hard Time : The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by Timothy Egan
As only great history can, Timothy Egan's book captures the very voice of the times: its grit, pathos, and abiding courage. Combining the human drama of Isaac's Storm with the sweep of The American People in the Great Depression, The Worst Hard Time is a lasting and important work of American history.

Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
By Anthony Swofford
In his searing memoir "Jarhead," Anthony Swofford examines his life as a marine in the first Gulf War with unflinching honesty, and explores the unsettling aftershocks of that life-changing experience with clarity and biting wit.

Wild Ducks Flying Backward
by Tom Robbins
A collection of short writings that spans four decades by Seattle area author Tom Robbins.

The Olympic: The Story of Seattle's Landmark Hotel, 1924-2004
by Alan J. Stein
Giants stride through the pages of this book, as they did through The Olympic's' corridors: presidents and senators, aviators and astronauts, movie stars and musicians, industrialists and union leaders, kings and queens--and at least one emperor.

The Deep Dark : Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Silver Mine
By Gregg Olsen
In The Deep Dark, Gregg Olsen looks beyond the intensely suspenseful story of the 1972 Sunshine Mine fire and rescue to the wounded heart of Kellogg, Idaho, a quintessential company town that has never recovered from its loss.

On American Soil : How Justice Became a Casualty of World War II
by Jack Hamann
Through his access to previously classified documents and information gained from extensive interviews, journalist Hamann tells the story behind World War II's largest army court-martial, where three African-American soldiers were charged with the lynching and murder of an Italian prisoner of war.

Echoes of Fury
by Frank Parchman
This is an epic account  of the volcano's awesome display of raw-throated power; the heartbreak and anger of survivors whose lost loved ones were largely unaware that they were in danger, even 30 miles away; the thrill of scientific discovery; and, ultimately, the recovery of nature and healing of the  human body and spirit.

Bijaboji : North to Alaska by Oar
by Betty Lowman Carey, edited by Neil G. Carey
Betty Lowman was 22 years old in June 1937 when she climbed into her beloved red dugout canoe, Bijaboji, and set out on a journey from Puget Sound to Alaska. Traversing some of the most treacherous waters on earth, the journey would have been a risky act for an extreme adventurer in any era; for a young woman in the conservative 1930s, it was a venture of almost unimaginable daring.

The Real Police
By David Ziskin
Written by Seattle author David Ziskin in a conversational way, this book is a basic education in the realities of policing, and will give readers the context and background to understand why the job should be done differently. The Chief of Police in your town won't like this book, but you will.

The Children's Blizzard
by David Laskin
Seattle author's gripping story of an epic prairie snowstorm that killed hundreds of newly arrived settlers and cast a shadow on the promise of the American frontier.

Neighbor Power : Building Community the Seattle Way
By Jim Diers
This book not only gives hope that participatory democracy is possible, but it offers practical applications and invaluable lessons for ordinary, caring citizens who want to make a difference.

Place of Learning, Place of Dreams: A History of the Seattle Public Library (Mclellan Book)
by John Douglas Marshall
"A bang-up job...Written with verve and clarity...Deeply informative about the foibles and aspirations of our city." - The Seattle Times

Portland Confidential: Sex, Crime, And Corruption In the Rose City
By Phil Stanford
From the wildly popular Portland Tribune columnist comes Portland Confidential: Sex Crime, and Corruption in the Rose City.
List Price: $16.95 Price: $11.87

Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer--America's Deadliest Serial Murderer
by Ann Rule (Hardcover - October 2004)
Ann Rule once again validates her standing as one of the pre-eminent chroniclers of modern serial murder, calling upon her experience as a former police officer and a civilian adviser to the VICAP Task Force to present a nuanced and easily comprehensible account of the hunt for the man responsible for at least 48 killings.
List Price: $26.00 Price: $17.68

Color: Latino Voices in the Pacific Northwest
By Lorane West (Paperback - May 2004)
Latino Voices in the Pacific Northwest offers a fresh, unique, glimpse into the rarely seen world of the recent immigrant. It also provides some insights into the modern healthcare delivery system and other matters of cultural interest.
List Price: $19.95 Price: $13.97

Ichiro on Ichiro : Interviews with Narumi Komatsu
By Philip Gabriel (Hardcover - September 2004)
Since Ichiro Suzuki joined the Mariners in 2001, he has awed America, earned the respect of his teammates, and won the heart of Seattle. But being notoriously private and media-elusive: baseball fans know very little about him.
List Price: $23.95 Price: $16.77

Chasing the Devil : My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer
by Sheriff David Reichert (Hardcover - July 2004)
Chasing the Devil is the gripping firsthand account of Reicherts relentless pursuit--a 21-year odyssey full of near-misses and startling revelations.
List Price: $24.95 Price: $16.97

Microsoft Rebooted: How Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer Reinvented Their Company
by Robert Slater (Hardcover - August 2004)
There have been many books about Microsoft over the years, but this one brings the story right up to the present, with fresh insights and information.
List Price: $24.95 Price: $16.97

Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot.Com Juggernaut
by James Marcus  (Hardcover - June 2004)
The entertaining story of the first five years of Amazon.com, recounted by employee number 55.
List Price: $24.95 Price: $16.97

Stranger Than Fiction : True Stories
By Chuck Palahniuk (Hardcover - June 2004)
This collection from shock novelist Palahniuk is an eye-opening look at the raw material that goes into Palahniuk's fiction, as well as proof that the novelist's art is derived from keen observation and recording of details.
List Price: $23.95 Price: $16.76

Heart of the Sound
By Marybeth Holleman (Hardcover - March 2004)
On the 15th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill comes one woman's reflections on that devastation and the parallel disintegration of her own marriage. A beautiful evocation of both grief and hope.
List Price: $21.95 Price: $15.37

More History >