To the Far North

This annotated translation of To the Far North presents the diary of a twenty-seven-year-old Russian physician who was part of the 1900 expedition to the Chukotka Peninsula to find gold. No other account so richly details life along the North Pacific Rim before World War I, especially from a Russian perspective.

This volume relates the expedition's formation, development, and aftermath and offers unique insights on the region's place in both Russian policymaking and geopolitics. The illustrated diary includes picturesque descriptions of San Francisco, the Nome Gold Rush, Chukchi culture, Petropavlovsk, Vladivostok, and Nagasaki, Japan.

Andrew A. Gentes's translation is based on an edition of Akifëv's book that was published in St. Petersburg in 1904. The diary shows how Russian and American views and cultural values clashed over a territory that is today more geopolitically important than ever. By documenting Akifëv's personal travels outside the expedition, To the Far North also demonstrates, in both human and personal terms, the role Russians played in shaping this region's history.

Andrew A. Gentes is a historian and translator. He earned his doctorate in Russian history from Brown University. He is the author of Russia's Sakhalin Penal Colony, 1849–1917 and the translator of Eight Years on Sakhalin by Ivan Iuvachëv, among other works.

The narrative is lively and engaging. Students and academics can appreciate this description of travel, encounters between foreign cultures, and the experiences of those engaged in the search for gold.

Elena I. Campbell, author of The Muslim Question and Russian Imperial Governance :

There is still a need for translated Russian primary sources that can provide a glimpse into the mentality of Russian historical actors and can be used in undergraduate teaching. Andrew A. Gentes's book meets this demand.