Into the Savage Land

In the middle of the night, October 1850, three British sailors searching for lost countrymen

are set upon the rugged shore on the far edge of the vast Russian Empire. Only two will return

from this cruel and harsh land called Alyaksa.

Edward Adams, a young Victorian-era doctor, was part of an expedition sent to Russian

Alaska in search of explorer John Franklin and his crew. As the mission’s naturalist, Adams

filled a journal with observations, recordings and drawings of his excursion, revealing a person

who thrived on new experiences and had a true gift for recording what he observed.

Full of drama and adventure, Into the Savage Land takes readers back to the Alaska of

1850. Reminiscent of the popular serialized stories that appeared in British papers at the time,

the journal presents a first-person account of travels into the interior of the colony and the

inherent dangers involved, including freezing temperatures, suspicious Russians and warring

Natives.

Edited and annotated by Ernest Sipes, this publication offers an exceptional opportunity

for students of the literature of Alaska and anyone interested in the region’s colorful history