Long-time Vashon resident Ann Irish will sign her book, “It’s Always Uphill from the Dock,” from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 17, at the Vashon Heritage Museum.

Irish lived on Vashon for more than 50 years, taught at the high school for 27 years, holds a Ph.D. in history, and has now written three books. Who else could be better prepared to write a composite history of all the islands in Puget Sound?

Her latest book — published on June 14 — explores a multitude of topics on shared island histories, from Anderson Island, in the south Sound, to Patos, in the San Juan Islands, in the north. In writing the book, Irish went to almost all of these islands in order to gain first-hand knowledge, visit with residents, become familiar with the geography, take pictures, and conduct research in their libraries and history museums.

Organization around topics all islands share, such as First Peoples, explorers, settlers, agriculture, Mosquito Fleet days, tourism, ferries, bridges, and recreation, allows her to discuss the commonalities as well as how they are different.

The highest point in the islands is Mount Constitution (2,400 feet), on Orcas Island. Vashon voted in 1947 to establish the first public ferry district, King County Ferry District No. 1. Harstine Island has no commercial center. The San Juan Islands once had a disputed national boundary cross them— the resultant story of the Pig War is one of the most fascinating chapters.

One of Irish’s strengths as a writer is her ability to take a complicated subject, like the Pig War, and tease out the connective threads which then allows her to make a messy storyline seem obvious and easy to understand. This capability extends as well to the chapters on Defense and War, the Black Ball Ferry Line, the Washington State Ferries, and Bridges.

Vashon does not have a chapter to itself, but is frequently mentioned.

As one of the largest islands, its history represents the happenings of many others. Like Bainbridge, there was the dark moment in the history of Japanese American incarceration, during World War II. Like Whidbey, Bainbridge, and Fidalgo, it hosted Chautauqua gatherings (Vashon’s was first). And like Anderson, Bainbridge, Lopez, San Juan, Stretch, and Whidbey, Vashon has housed commercial wineries.

The reader will also enjoy the visual support, including several maps. The first is of the total area covered with the 21 biggest islands named. This is followed by five maps, each of a different region in Puget Sound. There are photographs arranged in clusters at two intervals — many of them taken by Irish took on her research trips. And there is a meticulous and helpful index.

Full disclosure: I had the pleasure of accompanying my friend, the author, on her island trips to the south Sound, so I have watched this book evolve from its research to its publication. It is a wonderful, enjoyable, well-written book, and I am in awe of the ease with which she handles its multi-faceted topics.