The Glacier Priest - by Josh McMullen (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Discover the true story of the Jesuit priest, explorer, geologist, and photographer who brought the wilds of Alaska--and his Catholic faith--to the American public.

In The Glacier Priest, Josh McMullen reveals the captivating life and legacy of Father Bernard R. Hubbard, a devout priest and a national celebrity, a rugged outdoorsman and a passionate promoter. From the late 1920s through the 1950s, the famous Glacier Priest and his dogs connected millions of Americans with the pioneering spirit of Alaska and his vision of the wilderness as the salvation of the nation's soul. From celebrating Mass in the shadow of mighty Mount Katmai to mushing a dog sled team 1600 miles to five missionary bases, Hubbard's stories of frontier adventure captured the hearts of Americans and paved the way toward Alaskan statehood and a greater integration of Catholics into American society.

The Glacier Priest seamlessly blends Father Hubbard's rollicking adventures, the tensions underlying his larger-than-life persona, and the fascinating context that cements his legacy within American history.

Review Quotes

"The world's most daring explorer." --The American Magazine

"Readers may have trouble deciding which is more fascinating in Josh McMullen's biography of Father Bernard Hubbard--the man or the natural world that Hubbard explored. That problem makes The Glacier Priest a pleasure to read for a host of reasons--American Catholicism on the eve of Vatican II, the West in the American imagination, the natural wonders of Alaska and the businesses that exploited them, not to mention the remarkable energy, curiosity, and devotion of the Jesuit priest, Bernard Hubbard." --D. G. Hart, author of American Catholic

"At one point the highest-paid lecturer in the world, reaching audiences of a quarter of a million people a year, the nearly-forgotten Fr. Hubbard springs off the pages of McMullen's excellent book. The story of the Glacier Priest is a story not just of a famous individual and his heroic sled dogs; it is a window onto twentieth century American Catholicism. The life of Fr. Hubbard--explorer, amateur scientist, and skilled myth-maker--sheds light on Catholics' complex relationship to American expansionism, democracy, capitalism, and the idea of wilderness." --John Seitz, co-editor of Working Alternatives

"The Glacier Priest is a real joy to read and a tremendous contribution to the field of modern U.S. Catholic history." --Jack Lee Downey, author of The Bread of the Strong

About the Author

Josh McMullen is dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Regent University. He is author of Under the Big Top: Big Tent Revivalism and American Culture, 1885-1925 and a contributor to The Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism.