The Cruelist Miles – The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic - Softcover

Salisbury, Gay; Salisbury, Laney

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393325709 ISBN 13: 9780393325706

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005

Synopsis

When a deadly diphtheria epidemic swept through Nome, Alaska, in 1925, the local doctor knew that without a fresh batch of antitoxin, his patients would die. The lifesaving serum was a thousand miles away, the port was icebound, and planes couldn't fly in blizzard conditions-only the dogs could make it. The heroic dash of dog teams across the Alaskan wilderness to Nome inspired the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and immortalized Balto, the lead dog of the last team whose bronze statue still stands in New York City's Central Park. This is the greatest dog story, never fully told until now.

About this title

Review:

Stirring passages detailing the rigors of dogsledding, the bond between man and beast, and the importance of a good lead dog make for irresistible Jack London kind of stuff.--David Stress

Sequence by sequence the Salisburys have written not only about a race but also about our Alaskan history and the hardy people who first came, both Native and non-Native, to make our history so rich.--Velma Wallis, author of Two Old Women

Quite literally a cliff hanger.--Emily Carter

This a moving story, superbly researched and deftly told.--Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm

A scrupulously researched, cleanly written account that makes for a rollicking good adventure.--Alice King

A classic tale of man against nature.--Sara Wheeler

Synopsis:

The true story of the 1925 Nome, Alaska, diphtheria epidemic describes the hopeless plight of the patients, with a blizzard brewing and the much-needed serum seven hundred miles away, as teams of sled dogs and their drivers become the only hope for survival. Reprint. 30,000 first printing.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0393325709
• ISBN 13: 9780393325706
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320