The Great Northwest
The Search for Regional Identity
Culture and Environment in the Pacific West
6 × 9 inches. 192 pages.
2001. ISBN 978-0-87071-492-4. Paperback, $21.95.
For more than 150 years, Pacific Northwest writers have sought out the
region's shared stories and traditions in an attempt to explain the
common features of its places and people. A key element in the study of
place and region is the relationship between human experience and the
natural world. This newest volume in the acclaimed Culture and
Environment in the Pacific West series offers a compelling blend of
ideas and perspectives on region identity in the Pacific Northwest.
In The Great Northwest, historian William G. Robbins
gathers writings that explore the idea and reality of the Pacific
Northwest from a surprising variety of viewpoints. Descriptions of and
stories about such distinct places as Celilo Falls on the Columbia
river, Alaska, interior British Columbia, and the reforested Tillamook
Burn in Oregon show why the search for regional identity is a complex
but ultimately rewarding endeavor. "The business of understanding the
Pacific Northwest is messy but important," writes series editor William
Lang. "Knowing what we think about our place and our region offers
opportunities to understand ourselves our communities, and our
relationships to the larger world."