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A Death Decoded: Robert Kennicott and the Alaska Telegraph
Inscribed by author. Includes maps, B&W photos and index. Very clean and tight copy.
- GenresHistory
159 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 16, 2025
On May 13, 1866, members of an expedition to modern Alaska found the body of their Captain, Robert Kennicot, dead on the bank of a river. Next to him, his compass sat gently in the middle of sand-traced lines and drawings. His unexplained death led to various theories, from suicide to electric death. The strange markings in the sand, missing chemicals, and diary entries written in code all made for an even odder set of circumstances.
I found this book while scanning the shelves at work, and read it over the course of a few lunch breaks. The author has done an excellent job of describing her research process and walking the audience through how she came to the conclusions she did. That approach, in addition to useful appendices and well-cited illustrations, make this an excellent volume for a researcher on the topic. There's no wonder I found it in a research library!
The emphasis of the text as a research tool is apparent in the narrative and writing itself, which isn't necessarily a page-turner, despite the thrilling topic. Like many books and films, some of the book is about the process of researching the book itself, with evocative descriptions of walking through the Smithsonians. These are fine, and offer some pacing cushion from the more detailed accounting of the expedition, but I personally find them to feel more like fillers (not just in this work, but in any work they show up in). I think the book would be stronger if this time was spent establishing more of the national or political context for certain aspects.
I also have two fun connections to the text. First, William Healey Dall, one of the primary characters of the book and a central figure in the history of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition (and Alaska generally), has a number of materials in the archives I work at. This includes his carte-de-visite album from the expedition, so it's been really fun to read about the people involved and then look them in the eyes through the collection. Additionally, the skeleton of Robert Kennicott was later donated to the Smithsonian Institution, in keeping with his lifelong devotion to natural specimens and the organization itself. While visiting DC with friends in college, I encountered Kennicott's remains - a fact I had forgotten until I saw the image of his skeleton in its display. A very direct, and powerful, connection!
Overall, this book is very interesting for people who enjoy stories of explorers, mysterious deaths, and historical research methodologies. I think it has more value as a research tool than as a narrative story, but certainly you can enjoy it both ways. I would recommend this book to my Grandpa Neely.
I found this book while scanning the shelves at work, and read it over the course of a few lunch breaks. The author has done an excellent job of describing her research process and walking the audience through how she came to the conclusions she did. That approach, in addition to useful appendices and well-cited illustrations, make this an excellent volume for a researcher on the topic. There's no wonder I found it in a research library!
The emphasis of the text as a research tool is apparent in the narrative and writing itself, which isn't necessarily a page-turner, despite the thrilling topic. Like many books and films, some of the book is about the process of researching the book itself, with evocative descriptions of walking through the Smithsonians. These are fine, and offer some pacing cushion from the more detailed accounting of the expedition, but I personally find them to feel more like fillers (not just in this work, but in any work they show up in). I think the book would be stronger if this time was spent establishing more of the national or political context for certain aspects.
I also have two fun connections to the text. First, William Healey Dall, one of the primary characters of the book and a central figure in the history of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition (and Alaska generally), has a number of materials in the archives I work at. This includes his carte-de-visite album from the expedition, so it's been really fun to read about the people involved and then look them in the eyes through the collection. Additionally, the skeleton of Robert Kennicott was later donated to the Smithsonian Institution, in keeping with his lifelong devotion to natural specimens and the organization itself. While visiting DC with friends in college, I encountered Kennicott's remains - a fact I had forgotten until I saw the image of his skeleton in its display. A very direct, and powerful, connection!
Overall, this book is very interesting for people who enjoy stories of explorers, mysterious deaths, and historical research methodologies. I think it has more value as a research tool than as a narrative story, but certainly you can enjoy it both ways. I would recommend this book to my Grandpa Neely.
May 24, 2011
I have a somewhat special relationship with this book as I know the author and I worked for Dr. Doug Owsley, the physical anthropologist who opened Kennicott's coffin to study his remains. So naturally, I was eager to read more about the Kennicott case, which happened long before I worked at the Smithsonian.
I found Sandra's writing extremely accessible and I enjoyed the organization of the book: chapters about the modern investigation are interspersed between chapters about Kennicott's travels. I could see that Sandra had done thorough research and she was really able to piece together an interesting narrative based on archival materials. She did not put words in people's mouths, but drew reasonable conclusions and suggested possible points of view and feelings of the individuals she writes about.
My only disappointment was that the cause of Kennicott's death is built up throughout the book--was is strychnine poisoning? Was it suicide?--but then the revelation of the cause occurred without fanfare or drama. It was a bit anticlimactic. Sandra did a wonderful job building curiosity and suspense, but then wasted an opportunity to wow the reader with the conclusion of the investigation, Kennicott's cause of death.
Overall, however, I enjoyed the story. I would recommend this book if you like mysteries of any kind. I guarantee you'll learn something new about American history and about pathological investigations.
I found Sandra's writing extremely accessible and I enjoyed the organization of the book: chapters about the modern investigation are interspersed between chapters about Kennicott's travels. I could see that Sandra had done thorough research and she was really able to piece together an interesting narrative based on archival materials. She did not put words in people's mouths, but drew reasonable conclusions and suggested possible points of view and feelings of the individuals she writes about.
My only disappointment was that the cause of Kennicott's death is built up throughout the book--was is strychnine poisoning? Was it suicide?--but then the revelation of the cause occurred without fanfare or drama. It was a bit anticlimactic. Sandra did a wonderful job building curiosity and suspense, but then wasted an opportunity to wow the reader with the conclusion of the investigation, Kennicott's cause of death.
Overall, however, I enjoyed the story. I would recommend this book if you like mysteries of any kind. I guarantee you'll learn something new about American history and about pathological investigations.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews