The Hamlet Trap. By Kate Wilhelm. (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1987.)

Recommendation submitted by:
Will Stuivenga, Cooperative Projects Manager, Washington State Library, Tumwater, WA.

For the mystery fan who is also a theater buff, this is the perfect book! Set in Ashland, Oregon, not in the famous Shakespeare Festival proper, but in another nearby theater that specializes in anything other than the Bard, two people end up dead, and police suspicion falls on Ginnie, the talented set designer, who also just happens to be the theater’s owner/producer/impresario’s niece. A retired New York City detective and his Ph.D. psychologist wife are sent in to find the true culprit, and save the day. Well written, with great character development, as per usual with author Kate Wilhelm, this NW mystery is just the ticket for anyone who might have overlooked it back when it first came out.

ISBN: 0-312-94000-9

Available at the Washington State Library, NW 813.6 WILWELM 1987
Available as an eBook, or as a Braille edition.
Not available as a talking book.

From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian

The Pacific Northwest: Growth of a Regional Identity By Raymond Gastil and Banett Singer. (Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., Publishers, 2010. 221 p.)

The Pacific Northwest: Growth of a Regional Identity attempts to distill and define the major themes and players in the Pacific Northwestern literature as they trace the development of both the style and substance of the writing represented in our regional literary tradition.  The book is not a comprehensive review, but does touch upon major ideas such as the importance of the geography and climate on author identity, the balancing tension of early 20th century radicalism against pioneer tradition and historical irony as essential thematic elements in the writing.  The authors of this book blend a serious academic commitment to the subject with a conversational tone, which brightens and propels the reading experience. This analysis of the regional literature makes a valuable contribution to Pacific Northwest literary criticism.

Many acknowledge that this analysis began with the salty rant Status Rerum (1927) written by two renegades named Harold Lenoir Davis and James Stevens. At the time, Davis and Stevens were still struggling writers dismayed with what they deemed an insipid regional literary scene.  They set out to skewer florid, sentimental, and sensationalistic writing that permeated the local writing, attempting to spur on better craft and a more honest representation of life in this land.  Later on, both the authors went on to regional and national acclaim.  H. L. Davis’ Honey in the Horn (1935) remains the only Pulitzer recipient for literature awarded to a Pacific Northwesterner, while Stevens’ Paul Bunyan (1925) help to transform an outlandish lumberjack tale into a beloved piece of American folklore.

Gastil and Singer’s analysis reaches back to place the Lewis and Clark Expedition Journals, The Hudson Bay Company, missionary journalism and correspondence, and Native American oral tradition as precursors to the literary tradition.  They discuss the problems and the merits of apocryphal interpretations of the Chief Seattle “ecology speech” and Col. Charles Erskine Scott Wood’s transcription/embellishment of Chief Joseph’s famous “fight no more” speech.  It also makes a chapter-long case for the appointment of V. L. Parrington, Progressive Historian and founder of the “American Studies” movement, to the University of Washington English Department in 1908 as a catalyst for a Pacific Northwest Literary Tradition.

Throughout the work the authors critique, praise, and set into context all manner of thinkers, novelists, and poets within the canon – individuals such as Zola Ross, Richard Hugo, Frederick Homer Balch, Ella Higginson, Theodore Roethke, Gary Snyder, Louise Bryant, William Stafford, Abigail Scott Duniway, Nard Jones, Ken Kesey, Joaquin Miller, and the aforementioned Stevens and Davis.  Any reader looking for a better sense of the literary tradition, or just looking for a new read, could benefit from reading this engaging book.

ISBN: 978-0786445400

Available at the Washington State Library, NW 979.5 GASTIL 2010
Available as an eBook,
Not available as a talking book, or as a Braille edition.

The Wolves of Washington

March 21, 2013 @ 12 p.m. Presented by Linda Saunders, Director of Conservation, Wolf Haven International

Come learn about the return of wolves to the state of Washington after being gone for almost 80 years! We will discuss how this top predator may benefit the natural ecosystem in our state. You will also learn about the plan Washington State has to promote the existence of wolves in the wild, and how peaceful co-existence can be achieved.

Wolf Haven International (WHI) is a 501(c)(3) organization that has worked for wolf conservation since 1982. The mission of WHI is to conserve and protect wolves and their habitat. We do this by: providing sanctuary for captive born wolves, educating the public on the value of all wildlife, promoting wolf restoration, and protecting our remaining wild wolves and their habitat.

For more info or to RSVP, call the Washington State Library, 1-360-704-5221

The Wolves of Washington

March 7, 2013 @ 6 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30)Presented byCindy Irwin, Director of Education and Volunteer ServicesDiane Gallegos, Executive Director

Come learn about the return of wolves to the state of Washington after being gone for almost 80 years! We will discuss how this top predator may benefit the natural ecosystem in our state. You will also learn about the plan Washington State has to promote the existence of wolves in the wild, and how peaceful co-existence can be achieved.

Wolf Haven International (WHI) is a 501(c)(3) organization that has worked for wolf conservation since 1982. The mission of WHI is to conserve and protect wolves and their habitat. We do this by: providing s

anctuary for captive born wolves, educating the public on the value of all wildlife, promoting wolf restoration, and protecting our remaining wild wolves and their habitat.

For more info or to RSVP, call the Washington State Library, 1-360-704-5221

recently added to the circulating Pacific Northwest collection…

 

Stories from Jewish Portland. By Polina Olsen.

Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o723142763

Mills and markets; a history of the Pacific coast lumber industry to 1900. By Thomas R. Cox.

Seattle, University of Washington Press [1974]

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o915839

7 steps on the road to economic recovery: key recommendations to improve Washington’s small business climate.

Seattle, Wash.: Washington Policy Center, [2012]

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o827730604

Murder at Hogans Corner, Washington: an American destiny. By Wallace Louis Exum.

Snohomish, Wash.: Snohomish Pub. Co., c1992.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o30698667

Legal executions in the Western Territories, 1847-1911: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. By R. Michael Wilson.

Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, c2010.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o529958048

Legal executions after statehood in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon: a comprehensive registry. By R. Michael Wilson.

Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o635492295

Clallam County schools east to west. By Irene Wyman.

Port Angeles, Wash.: Totak Press, [2011], c2010.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o826338908

Great railroad tunnels of North America. By William Lowell Putnam.

Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, c2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o635492357

Foss: a living legend: a historical perspective of Foss Maritime Company. By Bruce Johnson

[Tacoma, Wash.: Foss Maritime Company, 1990]

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o38579650

A guide to the rockfishes, thornyheads, and scorpionfishes of the northeast Pacific. By John L. Butler, Milton S. Love, Tom E. Laidig.

Berkeley: University of California Press, c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o793222022

White spirit bear. By “Grandma Tess” Tessa Tessier.

Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House Publishers, c2000.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o43284062

Canoe legacy: carving a Salish style canoe. By Duane Pasco.

[Poulsbo, Wash.?]: Duane N. Pasco and Betty C. Pasco, 2010.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o826647946

More from Macrina: new favorites from Seattle’s popular neighborhood bakery. By Leslie Mackie with Lisa Gordanier.

Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o775415527

Ric Gendron: rattlebone. By  Ben Mitchell; with contributions by Ric Gendron, Joe Feddersen.

Missoula, Mt.: Missoula Art Museum; Seattle, Wash.:

[distributed by] University of Washington Press, 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o798407693

Edward Lange: an early artist of Olympia and Washington State. By Drew W. Crooks.

Olympia, Wash.: Tenalquot Press, 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o826379024

Where snowflakes dance and swear: inside the land of ballet. By Stephen Manes.

New York: Cadwallader & Stern, 2012, c2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o824379546

Golf in Oregon: historic tales from the fairway. By Bob Robinson; foreword by Peter Jacobsen.

Charleston, SC: History Press, 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o788250842

Jack Straw writers anthology. (Vol. 13) By Donna Miscolta, curator.

[Seattle, WA]: Jack Straw Productions, c2009.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o827624014

Jack Straw writers anthology. (Vol. 14) By Jared Leising, curator.

[Seattle, WA]: Jack Straw Productions, c2010.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o761224539

Jack Straw writers anthology. (Vol. 15) By Susan Rich, curator.

[Seattle, WA]: Jack Straw Productions, c2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o827624072

The hounding. By Sandra de Helen.

Lexington, KY: www.sandradehelen.com, 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o822569856

Pittock: the voice of Portland. By Alexander Fontana.

[S.l.]: PwrPen, c2012 ([United States]: lulu.com

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o826412523

Be brave, Tah-hy!: the journey of Chief Joseph’s daughter. By JackR. Williams; illustrations by Jo Proferes.

Pullman, Wash.: WSU Press, 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o805654814

100 tricks every boy can do: how my brother disappeared. By Kim Stafford.

San Antonio, Tex.: Trinity University Press, c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o777661269

Fodor’s Vancouver & Victoria. By Paige Donner, Carolyn B. Heller, Chris McBeath; Edited by Mark Sullivan, Marcia Hart

New York: Fodors Travel Publications, c2013.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o777660180

H.M. Chittenden: a western epic, being a selection from his unpublished journals, diaries and reports. By Hiram Martin Chittenden. Edited with notes and introduction by Bruce Le Roy.

Tacoma: Washington State Historical Society, 1961.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o608594256

Railroad semantics: Oregon Trunk, Fallbridge, Brooklyn, Cascade, Black Butte, Valley Subs. By  Aaron Dactyl.

Lansing, Kan.: Microcosm; London: Turnaround [distributor], 2013.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o811732482

A history of Saar Pioneer Cemetery and its inhabitants.

[Kent, Wash.]: South King County Genealogical Society, 2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o794181510

Packtrains & airplanes: memories of Lonesome Lake. By Trudy Turner.

Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House, c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o707818055

Empires, nations and families: a new history of the North American west, 1800-1860. By Anne F. Hyde.

New York: Ecco Press, 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o788292750

Lost Butte, Montana. By Richard I. Gibson.

Charleston, SC: History Press, c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o794712015

Wending the way from Wapato Gap: chronicles of coping with life, strife– and wife. By  George Edward Ing.

Yakima, WA: Good Fruit Grower, 2004.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o54103913

Gold Beach and South Curry County. By Meryl Boice.

Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o796757449

The artists’ guide to Seattle: insightful interviews with twenty-two of Seattle’s most influential artists about their favorite local destinations.

Seattle, WA: Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, c2009.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o827577375

Asian American heritage. By Past Forward Northwest Cultural Services

[Seattle, Wash.: Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2010]

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o827590224

Native American heritage. By Past Forward Northwest Cultural Services

[Seattle, Wash.: Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2010]

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o827616754

Portland in the 1960s: stories from the counterculture. By Polina Olsen; with a foreword by Joe Uris.

Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o801928850

Eagle. By City of Eagle, Idaho.

Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub., c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o805050349

KIDO, Boise’s First Radio Station. By Art Gregory.

Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub., c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o794708057

Jerome, Idaho. By Linda Helms.

Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub., 2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o823606099

Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park. By Melissa McGinnis, Doreen Beard-Simpkins, and the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma.

Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub., c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o796757521

Longview. By Dennis P. Weber with Karen Dennis and Sue Maxey.

Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub., c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o805055605

Langley. By Robert E. Waterman and Frances L. Wood.

Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub., c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o805055603

Croatian fishing families of Anacortes. By  Bret Lunsford.

Anacortes, Wash.: American Croatian Club of Anacortes, c2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o769131298

Century 21 city: Seattle’s fifty year journey from World’s Fair to world stage. By Michael Luis.

Medina, WA: Fairweather Publishing, c2012.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o820562465

Pacific Coast history, Volumes I and II. By  B.F. Alley and J.P. Munro-Fraser; [edited by Mark E. Parsons]

Hadlock, WA: Parsons Pub. Co., 2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o778373592

Spokane, our early history: under all is the land. By Tony and Suzanne Bamonte.

Spokane, Wash.: Tornado Creek Publications, 2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o759122758

Fred Beckey’s 100 favorite North American climbs.

Ventura, Calif.: Patagonia, c2011.

http://cals.evergreen.edu/search~S2/o711051592

From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian

Today being Valentine’s Day, your thoughts might float off on wings of poesy.  You might even wish you had a good line or two of local poetry to quote.  Well, the Pacific Northwest has long been renowned for its lyric lineage, from Ella Higginson (whose ‘The Opal Sea’ appears below) through celebrity poets, such as Theodore Roethke and Carolyn Kizer, to our current Washington State Poet Laureate, Kathleen Flenniken.

To help you in your quest, the Washington State Library collects a great amount of Pacific Northwest poetry to whet your bardic blade (okay, I promise to stop alliterating now), whether you wish to glean inspiration or just get lost in the play of words.  Perhaps you will even recite one aloud to your loved ones.

To browse away just begin searching in the Washington State Library Catalog by the Poet’s name (last, then first name) or by the subject “Poetry” within the Northwest Collection.  In the meantime, enjoy this classic by one of Washington State’s earliest poets.

By Ella Higginson

 

From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian

Today marks Centennial Celebration of the Washington State Temple of Justice building, home to the State Supreme Court.  The Temple is also home to the Washington State Law Library, but did you know that the building also housed the Washington State Library for 45 years?  This excerpt, taken from “Historic Sites of the Washington State and Territorial Library: 1853 to the present,” tells more…

In 1913, the library collection’s were relocated “temporarily” (from the Old State Capitol Building) to five small rooms in the basement of the Temple of Justice, with the rarest items placed into a vault. The Temple of Justice, home of the Washington State Supreme Court, is the oldest building of the Wilder and White capitol plan on the Capitol grounds, dating back to 1912. Though started in 1912, construction was not fully completed until 1920 due to issues with construction financing. Upon completion of the Legislative Building, the library was supposed to move into dedicated space there. This plan was never realized for when the Legislative Building was completed in 1928, the spaces had already been taken over by other state agencies.  Other plans for relocating the collection were devised over the years: moving the collection back to the Old State Capitol Building following a remodel, into “available space” in the General Administration Building, or into a remodeled Labor and Industries Building. All proposals were rejected, often because the costs were close to or the same as creating an entirely new dedicated facility.

Changes and growth began to occur at the library during its stay at the Temple. In February of 1933 State Librarian Mildred Pope established an official Legislative Reference Service. In 1939, portions of the Daughters of Pioneer Collection were relocated and housed at the Washington State Library, including the McCardle index.  In 1941 the Washington State Library Commission was created.  It had five members:  four appointed by Governor, with the Superintendent of Public Instruction as the fifth. In 1944 legal responsibility was vested in the Library Commission, which adopted a Statement of Policy on January 20, 1944.  In 1948 the Washington Library Association wrote a proposal for an Institutional Library Program for Washington State Institutions.  This proposal advanced the idea of a cooperative arrangement between the Department of Institutions and the Washington State Library for reading and reference services.  For many years the proposal would be discussed without any concrete partnership materializing.  In 1951 the library also partnered with the State Archives to initiate the microfilming of archival newspapers and manuscript files. By March 2, 1953, the library’s 100^th anniversary, 271,700 volumes were listed in the collection.  Though it was cramped for space and the collections were in serious peril, the library put on a brave face; celebrating its centennial with a tea and open house for dignitaries.

Note: The Washington State Library was a division of the Department of Education at one time.

In 1955 The Tacoma News Tribune described the legislative treatment of the library as akin to being the “stepchild of state government.” It reported on the inappropriate quarters and the neglectful condition of the library.  What follows is one passage from the article:

Housed in congested quarters in the basement of the Temple of Justice at Olympia is the Washington State Library which has become a maze of confusion because of lack of space. Irreplaceable books and papers are in danger of destruction because they cannot be given proper care…rare historical documents and newspaper files share space with office files under steam and water pipes.  Much of this material is deteriorating faster than staff members can repair it. … No public reading space is available, books are piled high and narrow aisles are often completely blocked.

Despite the dire conditions and poor public perception, a glint of optimism was in the air.  A new library bill garnering strong political support from members of both major parties was introduced that year.  The proposal was to create a separate and dedicated building as part of the Capitol Campus.  This building would be funded from the state building fund, which received money from the sale of timber on state-owned lands, removing the need for new taxes to be raised.

More information on the history of the State Library can be found on our website and in the book Dynamics of Change, by former State Librarian Maryan E. Reynolds (also pictured above).

Cave of Secrets. By Hal Burton. Lilliwaup, Washington: Hal Burton Publishing, 2002. 224 p.

Recommendation submitted by:
Will Stuivenga, Cooperative Projects Manager, Washington State Library, Tumwater, WA.

Place, specifically the Olympic coast “north of Grays Harbor County, where US Highway 101 turns inland and most of the coastal region along the shores of the Pacific is accessible only by old logging roads and hiking trails” plays a major role in this regional novel. According to the book’s Prologue:

It is speculated, though never proven, that the first explorers to the coastal region of Washington were monks from China. Several accounts have been found in Chinese court records that tell of missionary trips to the Aleutian Islands and as far south as Baja, California.

And on one of those mythical accounts, dating from 499 AD, hangs this tale of adventure and treasure. First off, the story briefly recreates the actual expedition, and what it might have been like for those early intrepid travelers from another continent. Then we shift rapidly to 1981, as Chuck Coolridge, UW PhD student in ancient Chinese history, having found some tantalizing historical records in Taiwan, mounts an expedition to try and locate any possible remnants of the original expedition these many hundreds of years later.

Further complicating the story is the mystery, never solved, of a young man who went missing on the very same stretch of Olympic Peninsula coastline back in the late 60’s. Two of his friends from the time, being familiar with the area, are recruited to help with the current search. Throw in a nosy Seattle newspaper reporter, and a spy working for the current Chinese government (!), and these disparate factors combine for a fast-paced adventure story.

Libraries and librarians often tend to look down their collective noses at self-published books such as this one, and not entirely without justification. While the writing in this book does not always measure up to sophisticated reader’s expectations, the intriguing nature of the story line soon draws the reader in, and the action and suspense carry you on through.

ISBN: 0-9725707-0-5

Available at the Washington State Library, NW 813.6 BURTON 2002.
Available in an eBook edition
Not available as a talking book, or as a Braille edition.

Plume: Poems. By Kathleen Flenniken. Seattle : University of Washington Press, 2012. 70 p.

Recommendation by:
Rand Simmons, Acting Washington State Librarian, Tumwater, WA.

Kathleen Flenniken grew up in Richland, Washington during the Cold War. Richland’s neighbor and reason for existence was the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Trained as a civil engineer, Flenniken spent eight years working as an engineer and hydrologist, three of those at Hanford.

The poems in Plume trace Flenniken’s perceptions about Hanford from young girl to professional woman. She writes, “every father I knew disappeared to fuel the bomb.” By the 1980s the effect of exposure to radiation was known. Assurance by officials of safety and security of Hanford workers and people in the surrounding area began to unravel. Flenniken narrates the story of Hanford by telling us about her life and that of her childhood friend, Carolyn. The poems are often haunting.

Carolyn’s father died of radiation-induced illness. Flenniken reveals the betrayal of the American public by government and the suppression of the truth. “As a child of ‘Atomic City,’ Kathleen Flenniken brings to this tragedy the knowing perspective of an insider coupled with the art of a precise, unflinching, gifted poet.”

ISBN-13: 978-0295991535

Kathleen Flenniken is the 2012 Washington State Poet Laureate.

Available at the Washington State Library, NW 811.6 FLENNIK 2012
Available as a Screen Readable Digital Book, and as a Braille edition for readers who are unable to read standard print material.
Not avaialble as an eReader edition

 

Join Washington State Poet Laureate Kathleen Flenniken, and West Region National Student Poet Miles Hewitt, as they share their talents in an evening of conversation and poetry sponsored by the Washington State Library.

What:	Poet Meets Poet
Where:	Columbia Room Legislative Bldg ( Online Visitor’s Guide) 416 Sid Snyder Ave SW Olympia, WA
When:	November 29, 2012 6:00pm – 7:30pm Doors at 5:30pm

https://blogs.sos.wa.gov/library/index.php/2012/11/state-library-to-host-poet-meets-poet-event-nov-29/

From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian

Washington State Library Pacific Northwest and Special Collections compiled a selection of resources on the language, culture and intercultural connections of the first peoples of the Pacific Northwest, as part of the Washington State Heritage Center’s exhibit “We’re Still Here: The Survival of Washington Indians.”  In honor of the federally recognized Native American Heritage Month 2012, the State Library is highlighting this list in hopes that it will stoke your interest in the diversity of native peoples hailing from the State of Washington.

“We’re Still Here” is display at the lobby of the Office of the Secretary of State, inside the Washington State Legislative Building, until April of 2013.  Supported and vetted by many Washington Indians, this exhibit displays colorful artifacts to tell compelling and personal stories. Artifacts include rare baskets, tools, feather hats, ceremonial colorful clothing and drums.

View/Download the resource list: Washington State Library, First Peoples of Washington State: Selected Resources*

Read more on the exhibit: We’re Still Here: The Survival of Washington Indians

 

* The resource list has been published using Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF); you will need the free Adobe reader in order to read it, available for download at get.adobe.com/reader.