One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey is a book, first published in 1973, by Sam Keith, based on the journals and photography of Richard Proenneke who, in 1968, retreated to the wilderness of Twin Lakes in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska to build a home for himself and live alone in the wilderness. Proenneke says he turned his back on tedious 50-hour work weeks and moved to Alaska "to do a thing to completion." He built the cabin when he was 51 years old and lived there for more than 30 years. A 26th anniversary edition was published in 1999. It won that year's National Outdoor Book Award in the History/Biography category.

This best-selling memoir from Richard Proenneke's journals and with firsthand knowledge of his subject and the setting, Sam Keith has woven a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond. To live in a pristine land unchanged by man . . . to roam a wilderness through which few other humans has passed . . . to choose an idyllic site, cut trees by hand, and build a log cabin. . . to be self-sufficient craftsman, making what is needed from materials available...to be not at odds with the world, but content with one's own thoughts, dreams and company. Thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. This book is a moving account of the day-to-day explorations and activities Dick carried out alone....alone in the wilderness...and the constant chain of nature's events that kept him company.

One Man's Wilderness
An Alaskan Odyssey

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