Preliminary identification
Photo reference
3 uploaded photos
Overview
This rare and significant 1980 academic work by Dr. Dorothy Knee Jones documents the subjugation and forced labor of Indigenous Aleut populations on Alaska's Pribilof Islands under U.S. federal management following the 1867 Alaska Purchase. Published in a small academic print run, it remains a seminal text in Alaskan Indigenous history and civil rights documentation.
Story
In 1867, the U.S. bought Alaska and promptly placed the Pribilof Aleut population under federal control to harvest lucrative fur seals. This landmark 1980 study exposed a century of forced labor and denied civil rights.
Maker / Origin
Dr. Dorothy Knee Jones was a professor of sociology at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), University of Alaska Anchorage. Her rigorous archival research shed light on hidden chapters of North American colonial history, particularly regarding Indigenous labor rights.
Condition & Value
Fair to good vintage condition. The main condition issue is prominent handwritten ink text on the lower front cover ('Nettie Scott... Anchorage, AK'), which reduces value compared to a clean copy. The binding and interior title pages appear intact.
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Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.