Steven Levi is the author of more than 100 books, half of them on Alaska. His subject matter includes humor, scholarly history, and impossible crimes. An impossible crime is one where the detective has to figure out HOW the crime was committed before he can go after the perpetrators. For Alaska history, he specializes in scholarly research to make sure what he writes is based on the facts. For example, his book on Archie Ferguson is based on more than 20 years of research, almost 100 interviews, and the reading of every newspaper which covered Ferguson's colorful career. This work is significant for the historian because it catalogs the transition of a frontier community to a community as the 'fences of civilization' were being constructed.