Sled Dogs in America:
The Art of Veryl Goodnight
The sled dog paintings of Veryl Goodnight are the subject of this new book from Northern Light Media: Sled Dogs in America: The Art of Veryl Goodnight, by Veryl Goodnight and Helen Hegener.
This book is an in-depth look at the incredible paintings done by the award-winning Colorado artist who has elevated the history of sled dogs to an exhibit at the prestigious Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona. Running for nine months, from July, 2024 through April, 2025, the exhibit showcases not only the paintings done by Veryl Goodnight, but includes the history behind the paintings as researched by Alaskan historian Helen Hegener, author of the landmark book Sled Dogs in North America (Northern Light Media, 2023).
This book details the history behind the paintings which comprise the exhibit. Beginning with the first inhabitants of North America, who were almost certainly accompanied by sled dogs, this book highlights the partnership between men and dogs down through the decades. Veryl Goodnight’s paintings vividly tell the stories of the intrepid sled dog teams which delivered the mail, the dogs who moved freight and supplies across endless winter trails, the Klondike Gold Rush dogs made famous in Jack London’s writings, and the dogs who even today carry park rangers and haul supplies in Denali National Park in Alaska.
Also included are stories of the great dog teams of the Arctic explorers, the sled dog teams who served in the military, the sled dogs of the great fur trapping and trading empires, the life-saving Serum Run to Nome in 1925, and many more. Pairing the history in photographs and text with the incomparable beauty and historically accurate detail of her paintings, Veryl Goodnight brings a long overdue honor to the brave sled dogs whose role in our history cannot be forgotten.
Sled Dogs in America: The Art of Veryl Goodnight is available until Oct. 15, 2024 for the pre-publication special price of $29.95 postpaid (US addresses only), exclusively from Northern Light Media. Retail price after October 15 will be $34.95 plus postage. Format 11″ x 8.5″ (landscape). 72 pages, printed in Ultra Premium Full Color on 70# paper. Bibliography, Resources, Indexed. ISBN 979-8-3304-2842-7.
More titles coming soon from Northern Light Media:
The Tender Life: 20 Years of Commercial Fish Tendering in Alaska, by Anne Winters. A brief excerpt: “Tenders are the ‘transporters’ of the Alaska commercial fishing industry. We don’t catch fish. We haul fish. We are hired by a processing company to go out to the grounds, pick up the fish from the fishermen and bring them back to the processing plant on the beach or to a floating processor nearby. This allows the fishing fleet to stay on the grounds during the peak runs of fish. Tenders act as grocery stores for the fishermen. We bring out parts, deliver mail, offer hot coffee and sometimes a hot shower. We act as the mother ship for the fishing fleet.”
The Tender Life: 20 Years of Commercial Fish Tendering in Alaska, by Anne Winters, illustrations by Jon Van Zyle, details coming soon!
An exhilarating compilation of hunting adventures: The World's Most Interesting Man, Alaska Big Game and The World's Largest Eskimo, Alaska Hunting Tales, by Lew Freedman, the former long-time sports editor of the Anchorage Daily News and the author of numerous books about Alaska, including titles from Northern Light Media of Wasilla such as “The Greatest Fish Ever Caught,” “Adventures On the Iditarod Trail,” “Northern Journey,” and “50 Years of Iditarod Adventures.”
In this new book, available in October, Lew shares engaging stories from some of Alaska’s most notable hunters, including big game guides, lodge owners, several Iditarod mushers, and many others, creating a delightful deep dive into the sport—and the necessity for some—of hunting in Alaska. Details coming soon.
The fourth issue of Mushing History Quarterly begins with the colorful history of Wells Fargo & Co. in Alaska, then an article by Shea Stanfield shares the story of Colorado painter, sculptor, and musher Veryl Goodnight, whose magnificent paintings of sled dogs are currently showing in the venerable Western Spirit Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona. Other stories in this fourth issue include Eli Smith’s 10,000-mile trip to Washington, DC; early mail in Alaska and the Yukon, the 1925 Serum Run, and an excerpt from Olaf Swenson’s memoir Northwest of the World: Forty Years Hunting and Trading in Northern Siberia, focusing on his beloved husky Bilkoff and his 2,500-mile trip across Siberia in the winter of 1928.
Thanks—as always—for reading, and if you’re a paid subscriber to this newsletter you have my heartfelt gratitude and sincerest thanks!
Helen