The European discovery of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands is fully and dramatically recorded in this journal - a gripping narrative of human conflict, of nature as adversary, of terror and pain and death, and of final deliverance. This is an important source book for the study of Alaskan history. Not only will it be the definitive scholarly source on Steller for many years to come, it also makes fascinating reading and deserves a place in the library of great books on exploration.