Camano Island is one of dozens of islands in Puget Sound once covered with immense stands of Douglas fir and Western red cedar. Beginning in 1858, and while the Civil War raged half a continent away, a large mill operated at the northern end of the island where the tall ships anchored to take away spars, pilings, and lumber for export abroad. The mill closed in 1891, and small logging companies took the rest of the big trees over the years. Once a bridge was built in 1909, Camano became the “island you can drive to” for a fishing trip, hunting outing, or a vacation cabin within a few hours of Seattle. In the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, Camano has become home to thousands of newcomers who enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the Cascade and Olympic Mountain Ranges from Mount Baker to Mount Rainier. Camano Island is one of dozens of islands in Puget Sound once covered with immense stands of Douglas fir and Western red cedar. Beginning in 1858, and while the Civil War raged half a continent away, a large mill operated at the northern end of the island where the tall ships anchored to take away spars, pilings, and lumber for export abroad. The mill closed in 1891, and small logging companies took the rest of the big trees over the years. Once a bridge was built in 1909, Camano became the “island you can drive to” for a fishing trip, hunting outing, or a vacation cabin within a few hours of Seattle. In the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, Camano has become home to thousands of newcomers who enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the Cascade and Olympic Mountain Ranges from Mount Baker to Mount Rainier.

The introduction to the Lushootseed-English section catalogs Lushootseed word-building structures, and entries exemplify each prefix, suffix, and root. The English-Lushootseed section features encyclopedic entries on many culturally significant topics such as Native canoe classifications and animal names. Scientific classifications are included for botanical terms, and cultural information makes the volume interesting for the nonlinguist. An extensive introduction explains the structure of entries and provides clear definitions of grammatical terms. A detailed description of the sounds of Lushootseed will be invaluable for learners of the language. The traditional dictionary format is readable and economical, resulting in a volume of manageable size.