Paulsen and his team of dogs endured snowstorms, frostbite, dogfights, moose attacks, sleeplessness, and hallucinations in the relentless push to go on. Map and color photographs. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The scene was unnerving to a novice: television cameras, loudspeakers, crowds and nearly 2000 excited dogs all jammed a street in downtown Anchorage. It was the start of the Iditarod dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome over 1180 miles of rugged terrain. Paulsen ( Clabbered Dirt, Sweet Grass ) had run dogs in Minnesota, but was woefully unprepared in 1983 for his first Iditarod and for conditions in Alaska. After getting lost with his 15-dog team in Anchorage at the start, he and the dogs later took a wrong turn again, adding 120 miles to the journey. Attacked by a moose, suffering frostbite and sleeplessness, he nevertheless completed the race in 17 days and was eager to run another. Paulsen presents a fine depiction of the landscape and of dogs at work in this gripping story of adventure and endurance. Photos. First serial to Readers Digest; author tour. (Mar.) From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

The Alaskan Iditarod is an annual 1180-mile dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome that generally takes two to three weeks to complete. Paulsen, a popular YA writer, ran the race in 1983 and 1985 and was again in training when a heart condition forced him to retire. This book is primarily an account of Paulsen's first Iditarod and its frequent life-threatening disasters, including wind so strong it blew his eyelids open and blinded his eyes with snow, cold so deep matches would not strike, and packages of lotions kept next to his skin that froze solid. However, the book is more than a tabulation of tribulations; it is a meditation on the extraordinary attraction this race holds for some men and women. In a style reminiscent of fellow nature writer Farley Mowat, Paulsen deftly examines careening on a precarious edge. Highly recommended for all libraries.-- John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, N.J. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gary Paulsen was born on May 17, 1939 in Minnesota. During the first few years of his life, his father was stationed in Europe during World War II and his mother worked in a factory. Paulsen was raised by his grandmother and aunts. He lived overseas after the war in the Phillippines between 1946-49. Ever since he was fifteen, he worked many jobs to support himself.

He attended Bemidji College, in Minnesota, paying his tuition by being a trapper. He also spent some time in the army. He decided one day to try writing and tried to become a magazine editor. He spent nearly a year as an associate magazine editor on a magazine for men in Hollywood, California. He published his first book, "Special War," in 1966 and had published nearly forty books and several articles and short stories during his early years. He went back to school in 1972, attending the University of Colorado, but his career was interrupted by a lawsuit in 1977 over "Winterkill." In 1990, he suffered a mild heart attack, which did not hinder his writing at all.

Paulsen was the recipient of the 1997 Margaret A. Edwards Award for his lifetime achievement in writing for young adults.

(Bowker Author Biography) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.