The Golden Grindstone: One Man's Adventures in the Yukon (Arctic Adventure)
Selected Book Details
- Paperback
- Author: Angus Graham
- Publisher: The Lyons Press
- Release Date: October 2006
- ISBN-10: 1592287077
- ISBN-13: 9781592287079
- List Price: $14.95
Price Comparisons
E-mail these Cheap Book Prices to a friend!
| Store | Price | Condition | Free Shipping? | Online Coupons and Deals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $0.11 as of 3/11 9am EST | Used | NO, $3.99 |
| |||
| Half.com | $0.75 as of 3/11 9am EST | Used | NO, $3.49 to $3.99 |
| |||
| Half.com | $1.59 as of 3/11 9am EST | New | NO, $3.49 to $3.99 |
| |||
| Alibris | $1.99 as of 3/11 9am EST | Used | NO, $3.99 |
| |||
| Amazon | $3.34 as of 3/11 9am EST | New | NO, $3.99 |
| |||
| Alibris | $3.35 as of 3/11 9am EST | New | NO, $3.99 |
| |||
| Amazon | $11.66 as of 3/11 9am EST | New | YES, spend $25+ |
| |||
| button not working? Click Here | |||||||
Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryA fearless explorer searches for gold on the rugged Canadian frontier in this adventure classic. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
excellent
Rating:
this is a great book. A little slow starting. Picks up and flows fairly well.
What an adventure!
Rating:
This is the ultimate adventure story of a Toronto businessman, George M. Mitchell, who dared to venture out to the Yukon in search of gold in the late 1890's. But this is not a story of gold mining and the gold fields. It is a story of the journey, not the destination. And what a journey it was. Mitchell and some friends attempted to reach the Yukon via a less traveled route. They brought along provisions to last for three years which amounted to a massive amount of goods to be transported down winding rivers and over dangerous rapids. Mitchell encountered storms and floods; grizzly bears and wolves; thieves and murderers; famine and injury. He also encountered men and women of good will and extraordinary kindness. His descriptions of Indian life at the time are fascinating. He knew the subject well, as he lived with a tribe of Indians for some time, and learned their language.
It is just astonishing that men could endure what they did in those days in the far North. I couldn't put the book down. A great read!
Highly recommend
Rating:
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (3/07)
In 1897-1898 "would be miners ascended Alaska's Chilkoot Pass the Yukon River basin." But there were other trails that lead to the Klondike Gold Rush. All the routes were harsh but some were almost unendurable.
"George M. Mitchell was an insurance broker in his early thirties." George had always lived an inactive life. He would occasionally fish or hunt but most of his life was inactive. Lured by the adventure of the Klondike Gold Rush, George "chose the most obscure, arduous, and downright implausible route to the goldfields." It's as though he said to himself: "no one, not even me, would ever think of insuring a person so incautious as to try to reach the Klondike via the peel river system and, specifically, the Wind River."
Athabasca Landing was a small unassuming place before the gold rush. There were about 40 or 50 white men and about 200 Indians that came and went. George settled in for a bit preparing for the next leg of his journey. The party needed more manpower. When Craigie, a Scotsman, and Smith, a Welsh, approached George he hired them both. George enjoyed his time in Athabasca especially getting to know the people.
"Grizzly bears were quite plentiful, and when he was on the main river or the larger creeks Mitchell used to see one or two of them every day, grubbing among the roots of the willows by the stream-side. One time George shot a young grizzly bear and when Bonnet Plume found out he cursed him. It was unsafe to tackle a grizzly alone. On another occasion he saw a large, pure white grizzly bear. It reared up in front of him. One time when George woke up a grizzly was sitting up on his haunches watching him.
"The Golden Grindstone" by Angus Graham tells the fascinating story of one man on the adventure of a lifetime. Mr. Graham is an excellent storyteller and successfully shares the journey of George M. Mitchell as he makes his way to the Klondike Gold Rush. George Mitchell comes to life on the pages of this book. Many of the adventures are told with a humorous slant. Mr. Mitchell was a very brave man and faced many hardships as did other miners. I particularly enjoyed the tales concerning the wildlife and the Indians. I enjoyed learning about this special time in history and the men that sacrificed so much for gold and adventure. I highly recommend this book to fans of history, adventure and non-fiction.
BROWSE BY SUBJECT
- Audiobooks
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Health, Mind & Body
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel