The Alaska Gold Rush started in 1880 and lasted until World War II. What made it so unusual was that many of the sourdoughs never left. They stayed on, year after year, sloshing through the freezing waters of thousands of streams, looking for the elusive yellow metal. Some became wealthy, and most of those spent their lifetime’s-worth of gold in a few months of wild living. Most just made enough to feed themselves. They lived in squalid cabins and survived on beans, caribou and wild onions. These are tales of the men and women who preferred to stay in Alaska rather than return to the cities—and the families—left behind. Many of them had very good reason to not want to return. Besides, Alaska was a wild and wooly place where there were no rules—except for the ones you made up as you went along.

Becoming a published author is a daunting experience. Bringing and keeping a book before potential readers is a challenging and taxing undertaking. Almost everyone has dreamed about writing a book—but few there are that have what it takes to do it. Becoming a Published Author is a book written by those who have done it—who had a vision of being a published author and had what it took to make it happen. These are stories from authors about their writing and publishing journey from the beginning of their idea to the thrill of their first book signing—and beyond. Becoming a Published Author includes thoughts, insights, and the emotional highs and lows of becoming an author and marketing a book.

Building on experience from 60 countries worth of independent travel, the author takes you on three journeys to places you may never have considered visiting, although you probably should and you definitely could. Learn about a low-budget cruise to Antarctica, understand what the Trans-Siberian Railway really is like, enjoy the natural wonders of Southern Africa. The book is a fun read, but you will also learn about far-away destinations and about how to travel independently anywhere. It's not a travel guide or a travel journal, it's both!More details, including free downloads, available from http://bjornfree.com/

Provides a social history of how the CIA used the psychedelic drug LSD as a tool of espionage during the early 1950s and tested it on U.S. citizens before it spread into popular culture, in particular the counterculture as represented by Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, and others who helped spawn political and social upheaval.