Woodsmen of the West

This engaging firsthand account of handlogging along the north coast of British Columbia at the turn of the century evokes both the flavor of an era long vanished and timeless observations on human nature. As the miner, logger and, eventually, chief forester of British Columbia records his odyssey through rainy, heavily wooded forests, he narrates delightful anecdotes and intuitive character sketches of the men with whom he worked, handlogging the virgin terrain and navigating leaky boats. He rarely clutters his tales with autobiographical details, but the few tantalizing hints he reveals add depth to his story. Grainger is gifted with the perception of an outsider; he is an Englishman, he mentions incidentally, and college educated. As he moves farther into the untamed land he drops his shy, alienated stance and, taking a role wholeheartedly in his adoptive society, prides himself on his work. Grainger admires the nature of this arduous labor, and the diligent, rough men who demand inviolable standards from their employees. Carter the logging boss merits Grainger's most vivid rendering, as the author both respects and detests this furious working man. The astute insights Grainger lends to his encounters, along with color and humor, capture a dramatic period in western Canadian timberland. Illustrations not seen by PW. (September)