The Pribilofs are islands in the Bering Sea, once the prize of Russians who hunted them for seals and sold the pelts. Eventually the islands became part of the Aleutians under Alaskan governance in 1867. People were not allowed to leave the islands (leading to inbreeding and consequent genetic deformities) and were not “freed” until the 1980s. Regulation of herd management did not begin until 1911. The author’s uses information from the 1879 journal of Elizabeth Beaman, the first white woman to set foot on the Pribilofs. Russian influence remained in fealty to the Russian Orthodox Church. The author visited there in 1978 and describes her adventures and the character of the islanders. Included life history of the sea lions and other wildlife.