From Publishers Weekly The loss of a colleague whose Cessna 340A disappeared between Yakutat and Juneau (an area known as Alaska's Bermuda Triangle) prompted the author to examine other disappearances in that vast state. A former editor of Alaska's Wildlife， poet Nickerson reaches back to early frontier Alaska， to the Russians， American missionaries， Sir John Franklin and subsequent polar expeditions， including those of Captain Bob Bartlett and Vilhjalmur Stefansson. She also meditates on another kind of loss?the disappearance of the shamans， language and culture of the natives and of the land's natural resources. Nickerson follows recent disappearances of hikers， climbers， tourists and adventurers (in 1991， the Coast Guard launched 1192 rescues， with 45 reported fatalities). These gripping stories of death and loss are deftly interwoven with reflections on the author's life in Alaska. Beautifully written， Disappearances gives us a sense of place not found in ordinary maps. Author tour. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Library Journal Moved by the disappearance of a colleague， Nickerson (In the Compass of Unrest， Trout Creek， 1988)， combines her own life story with brief accounts of other missing people within her home state of Alaska. The author draws her information from history books， personal anecdotes， records of missing persons， and her own diary entries. This broad spectrum of material brings both an eclectic and individual approach. One of the most striking features of the book is the author's flowing and descriptive prose as she covers such topics as exploration， indigenous people， and the unsettling reality surrounding missing persons. As much informative as it is a personal reflection of the author's life， this thought-provoking work encourages reflection in our own lives and our fragile place in the environment. For public libraries.Jo-Anne Mary Benson， Osgoode， Ont.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews