“The reader senses immediately when opening and scanning this volume that it is a work of exceptional learning and value. It is the result of international scholarship of the highest order and the product of excellent translation by a distinguished scholar who is also an authority on Russian America’s history and peoples. Many pleasant hours of engrossing reading confirm the initial impression. . . . This noble book tells that story with clarity, thoroughness and erudition. With fine illustrations, a comprehensive bibliography and serviceable index, Exploring and MappingAlaska is highly recommended as an essential volume in Alaskan history and in Russian imperial endeavours.”
— Choice
“Long awaited. . . . Postnikov is an internationally known authority on the history of the cartography of Russia and its territories. The late Lydia Black, an acknowledged expert on the anthropology and Russian-era history of Alaska, worked closely with him to produce a translation that conveys the essence of the Russian original while pruning some of its verbiage. Coauthor Marvin Falk, a recognized authority on the history of the cartography of Alaska, updated portions of the translated text to reflect scholarship published since 2000. The result of their collaboration is a thorough and highly readable account of the exploration and cartography of Alaska before that territory's acquisition by the USA in 1867.”
— Journal of Historical Geography
“This noble book tells the story of the mapping of Alaska with clarity, thoroughness and erudition. With fine illustrations, a comprehensive bibliography and serviceable index, Exploring and Mapping Alaska is highly recommended as an essential volume in Alaskan history and in Russian imperial endeavours.”
— Barry Gough, Imago Mundi
“This augmented English translation of a history of Russian exploration and cartography, and through those processes the very invention of the Great Land, or Alaska, will likely be the definitive account on this subject.”
— Alaska Journal of Anthropology
“A big book with much to offer: a wealth of information from obscure Russian sources, reproductions of exciting maps from many places, ideas that are worthy of careful attention and further research. This book is highly recommended.”
— Alaska History