This 442-page book is divided into three sections. Part I gives a review of reference materials and collections, telling where to find Alaska Native sources, Alaska village and native organizations, archives, museums and historical societies. This section gives references to atlases, maps, and also contains a bibliography of published historical sources, such as dictionaries, place name literature, bibliographies, histories of places, mining, and the Alaska Highway. These references include:

Library collections

Manuscripts

Oral histories

Photo and film collections

Fraternal society records

Ethnic society records

Genealogical and lineage organization resources

Name indexes

Special indexes

Periodical indexes

Newspaper collections

Part II of "Alaska Sources" discusses records and directories, with categories for cemeteries, obituaries, and mortuary records from every district of Alaska. It also identifies census records, including all federal and local censuses taken in Alaska. It lists church archives and record repositories by denomination, including Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and several Protestant groups from the earliest days of Alaska's history. It reviews city and telephone directories, records of the court and administrative system, state and federal land records, and military records. It also lists schools, orphanages, hospitals, and statewide vital records.

Part III lists electronic media. It gives listings of Web sites about Alaskan government, history, genealogy, museums, and other archives. I noted that it also lists 17 Web sites dealing with the Alaska Gold Rush.

The book ends with three indexes: one index by title, a second by author, and a third by subject. A CD-ROM version of the book is also included, which allows for easy searching of the material.

Alaska Sources—A Guide to Historical Records and Information Resources, by Connie Malcolm Bradbury and David Albert Hales is destined to become THE primary resource for anyone searching for ancestors in Alaska. It also is a great resource for anyone looking for information about those who joined the great Alaska Gold Rush of the early 1900s.

Alaska Sources—A Guide to Historical Records and Information Resources is published by Heritage Quest. Any bookstore can order it if you specify ISBN 0-944931-88-X (for the hardbound edition) or ISBN 0-944931-87-1 (for the softbound version). In addition, you may purchase it for $49.95 directly from Heritage Quest’s secure Web site.