Full Reviews Follows . . .

Full Reviews of Winners

History/Biography.  Winner. Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon.  By Melissa L. Sevigny.  W. W. Norton & Company, New York.  ISBN 9780393868234.

In 1937, the botanist Elzada Clover was on a two-week desert plant collecting trip in southern Utah, staying at small dirt-roofed lodge in a wide spot in the road called Mexican Hat.  While there, the still, little explored Grand Canyon, miles downriver from Mexican Hat, was calling to her.  No one had done a serious study of the plants in the canyon – and she started thinking that she could be the one to do it.   The Grand Canyon was also calling to twenty-nine-year-old Norm Nevills who ran the lodge.  Together, Nevills and Clover hatched a plan.  Nevills had not run “the Grand,” but he, nevertheless, offered to build boats and guide Clover down the river for her plant study.  The male dominated scientific and academic world didn’t take the work of women scientists seriously, but Clover managed to finagle some funding and was back the next year with fellow botanist Lois Jotter.   In this brilliantly told story you are given a seat in the boat along with Clover and Jotter for a bit of canyon botany - and the ride of your life.

 

History/Biography.  Winner.  Empire of Ice and Stone:  The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk.  By Buddy Levy.  St. Martins Press, New York.  ISBN 9781250274441.

In this splendid re-telling of the ill-fated 1913 Canadian Arctic Expedition, author Buddy Levy directs our attention to the two protagonists:  Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the expedition’s overall leader, and Bob Bartlett, the captain of the expedition’s ship named the Karluk.   Stefansson, an anthropologist, explorer and self-promoter, is building his Arctic resume.  Bartlett is a down-to-earth seaman, and arguably, the world’s most experienced ship captain when it comes to navigating ice-choked waters.  Just six weeks into the journey, however, the Karluk becomes trapped in ice, north of the Alaskan coast.  Stefansson, announcing that he would supplement the ship’s food supply, takes off with a small crew to hunt.  But while he is gone, the ice-bound ship is propelled eastward by strong Arctic currents, sending it into Russian waters.  Stefansson never returns to the ship.   Things go from bad to worse.  The ship is crushed by ice.   Trapped on the ice pack in the darkness of an Arctic winter, his ship in ruins, Bartlett waits for daylight to return.  His plan is to make for a large island in the East Siberian Sea.  But what then?  Help is still miles and miles away.  And Stefansson?  What has happened to him?  Find out in this captivating narrative.

 

Outdoor Literature.  Winner.  Battle of Ink and Ice:  A Sensational Story of News Barons, North Pole Explorers, and the Making of Modern Media.  By Darrell Hartman.  Viking, New York.  ISBN 9780593297162.

Big early expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic required money – and lots of it.    Ships were needed.  So was custom made clothing, fuel, food and other supplies to keep the expedition going, sometimes for several years.  To make all that happen, explorers needed benefactors - and publicity.  During the heroic age of Arctic exploration, it was newspapers that promoted explorers and their exploits, and sometimes even funded their efforts.  Battle of Ink and Ice is the story of the close relationship between newspapers and expeditions.  In particular, it chronicles the rivalry between two dominant New York papers: the New York Herald and the New York Times.   Drawn into the fray are two American explorers Robert Peary and Frederick Cook, both of whom claimed to have reached the North Pole . . . or had they?  Each paper took the side of one of the explorers, instructing their reporters to make sure their side won.  Meticulously researched, and splendidly told, it is a fascinating story of newspaper tycoons, ambitious explorers, and the vast unknown reaches of the frozen north.

 

Outdoor Literature.  Winner.  What an Owl Knows:  The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds.  By Jennifer Ackerman. Penguin Press, New York.  ISBN 9780593298886

It just takes a few pages and Jennifer Ackerman will have you hooked.  She writes with the enthusiasm of someone who thoroughly loves her subject.  Moreover, she is not one to sit still while doing it.  Throughout the book, she travels about, looking for different owl species, visiting scientists, observing their work, and bringing us up-to-date with the latest discoveries about these enchanting creatures.  We learn how they fly without making sound, how they hoot to defend their territory, how some live underground, and how others can make a tasty meal of black widows and scorpions.   Pick up a copy and jump in.  The next time you are walking in the woods and you hear a hoot from a nearby tree, you’ll have an idea of what an owl knows.

 

Nature & the Environment.  Winner.  The Milkweed Lands: An Epic Story of One Plant Its Nature and Ecology.  By Eric Lee-Mäder.  Illustrations by Beverly Duncan.  Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA.  ISBN 9781635864366.

Like a milkweed pod ready to burst apart, this lovely book cries to be opened.  And once opened, it comes alive with Beverly Duncan’s enchanting watercolors of the milkweed in all of its forms.  Ecologist Eric Lee-Mäder guides us along, explaining the plant's biology and its life cycle in a relaxed voice, not burdened by overly technical language.  Of all the critters that depend on milkweed  – and by Lee-Mäder’s count, there are at least 40 insects that do - the most well-known, of course, is the monarch butterfly.  Of particular importance for the monarch is the Mississippi River corridor which because of its flood plain, side channels and generally un-farmable terrain, still hosts adequate milkweed for the monarch migration.  That’s just one small fact of the many found in this fine synthesis of art and nature writing.

 

Nature & the Environment.  Winner.  Living River: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado.  By Dave Showalter.  Braided River / The Mountaineers Books, Seattle.  ISBN 9781680516326.

The numbers are astounding.  Forty million people depend on the waters of the Colorado River, and yet water stored in the river’s reservoirs is dwindling.  With states and the federal government currently deciding how best to allocate the river’s limited water, the book’s publication could not have been more timely.  Yet, this is not a doom and gloom book.  It is a celebration of the river and the dedicated individuals working toward solutions.  Combining superb photography, essays and interviews, the author takes us to different parts of the river’s watershed and provides us with an informed and enlightened view of the Colorado and its promise.

 

Natural History Literature.  Winner.  Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals & People in America.  Dan Flores.  W. W. Norton & Company, New York.  ISBN 9781324006169.

In this expansive work on environmental history, Dan Flores concentrates on a period of time, starting some 16,000 years ago and leading up to the present.  It’s during this period of time when humankind became a dominant force on the North American continent.  In a highly readable style, Flores blends genetic science, anthropology, evolutionary biology, and cultural history to trace the decline of wildlife diversity.  The decline didn’t start with the coming of Europeans.  Flores documents how it was well on its way thousands of years before, but it has, of course, accelerated over the past couple of hundred years.  Flores points out that hopeful strides have been made to slow the eradication of species, but his work is also a warning to what lies ahead should we not continue those efforts.

 

Natural History Literature.  Winner.  The Killer Whale Journals: Our Love and Fear of Orcas.  By Hanne Strager.  Photographs by Paul Nicklen.  Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.  ISBN 9781421446226.

This wonderful book on orca whales is done through the eyes and experiences of Hanne Strager, a Danish biologist.  She fell in love with whales when as a biology student, she served as a cook on a Norwegian whale research vessel – and from those early experiences, the study of whales became her life’s work.  In this series of stories, we learn about whales as she learns, each new experience revealing more details about these remarkable creatures.   Many of the chapters begin with historical accounts, helping shed light on current trends among whale populations.  Like a whale pod in search of food, she travels to Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, Russia, Seattle and British Columbia in an effort to more fully understand whales and their relationship to humankind.   It is a complicated relationship, but through Strager’s very personal stories, we have a better understanding of that kinship and of the whales themselves.

 

Journeys.  Winner.  Hidden Mountains: Survival and Reckoning After a Climb Gone Wrong.  By Michael Wejchert.  Harper Collins, New York.  ISBN 9780063085527.

Four experienced climbers, two men and two women, are on an expedition to the Hidden Mountains, a little visited range in Alaska.  Early in the expedition, while ascending an unclimbed peak, one of the men is badly injured by rock fall.  He is isolated from the others, but eventually, one member of the party reaches the injured climber – and what he finds is not reassuring.  Although a distress text was sent earlier, it becomes crystal clear that they need outside help – and they need it quickly.  Much of the account centers on a nail-biting rescue undertaken by Alaska Air National Guard.  Oftentimes in narratives like this, the rescuers are secondary to the main story, but in this work, they are very much the story.  We learn who they are, how they train, and how they deal with the everyday dangers of their work.  Author Wejchert goes a step further, following the story beyond the rescue to its aftermath and the lives that have been changed. 

 

Design.  Winner.  Seasons of Yellowstone:  Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.  By Thomas D. Mangelsen.  Rizzoli, New York.  ISBN 9780847872336.

When Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, it was oil paintings and black-and-white photographs made from glass plates that helped convince Congress that this remarkable area should be set aside as a “public park.”   The fact that Congress was moved to do so is a demonstration of the power of images.  Thomas Mangelsen believes in that power, and his life time work has been to use images for the purposes of conservation.   In this stunning book, Mangelsen draws from years of painstaking work to capture the grandeur of Yellowstone and the Tetons.  Whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, this book is truly the hallmark of a master.

 

Children’s Category.  Winner.  What Goes On Inside a Beaver Pond?  By Becky Cushing Gop.  Illustrated by Carrie Shryock.  Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA.  ISBN 9781635865271.

This charming story for eight- to ten-year-olds will take them on an adventure to a beaver pond.  Guided along by lovely illustrations, the story begins with a beaver family going about what all beaver families do.  Eventually, we follow a young beaver setting out on her own.  She travels along the stream looking for just the right place to start her own family.  Soon she is joined by a mate, and together they build a dam, stock up on their winter supply of food, and construct their new home.  At the conclusion of the story, children can play a fun game.  Pictured are a series of drawings of animals which have appeared earlier in the book.  The child must try to find where in the book where animal is found.  It is a perfect way for children to relive the story and have a bit fun too.

 

Classic.  Winner.  Everest: The West Ridge.  By Thomas F. Hornbein.  The Mountaineers Books, Seattle.  ISBN 9781594857072.

There was absolutely no doubt about it when this book arrived in the judges’ hands.  Everest: The West Ridge is a classic in outdoor literature.  The ascent of the West Ridge was the crowning achievement of the 1963 American expedition to the mountain.  The main purpose of the expedition, of course, was to get the first Americans on top of Everest via the standard South Col Route.  Once that had been accomplished, however, the climbing team was free to try something else – and that something was Everest’s imposing West Ridge.  No one knew whether it was possible to climb it, but two climbers, Thomas Hornbein and Willy Unsoeld, set out to try.  This is that story, told in unfailing candor by Hornbein, of one of the most remarkable ascents – and descents - in all of Himalayan climbing history.  Re-issued by the Mountaineers Books on the fiftieth anniversary of the original publication, this is a collector’s item: all original text, all original photographs, all beautifully presented and packaged with a hardbound cover.

 

Nature Guides. Winner. Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Plants of Eastern & Central North America.  By Samuel Thayer.  Forager’s Harvest Press, Weyerhaeuser, WI.  ISBN 9780976626640.

With over 700 pages and color photos throughout, you can’t go wrong with this comprehensive guide to edible plants.  And you can’t go wrong with the advice of author Samuel Thayer.  An internationally known expert on edible plants, he lives with his family in an off-grid log cabin where he manages the land for wildlife and native edible plants.  Each plant in this guide is accompanied by at least two photos, showing it in different angles and in different stages of growth.  For each of the covered species, Thayer very helpfully includes plants which might be confused with it and why that is.  Tack on range maps, foraging calendar, and an innovative system for identifying plants, and this is one fine field guide.

 

Nature Guides.  Silver Medalist.  Edible Wild Plants:  Wild Foods from Foraging to Feasting (Vol 2).  By John Kallas, Ph.D.  Gibbs Smith.  Layton, UT.  ISBN 9781423641346.

Edible plants made a strong showing in this year’s crop of nature guides, and John Kallas’s new guidebook was another stand-out.  Kallas has the perfect combination of credentials to write this book: a long-time edible plant enthusiast, and a practicing botanist with a Ph.D. in nutrition.  What is so appealing about Kallas’ guide is that in addition to identifying edible plants, he also includes recipes and cooking instructions.  The color photography is, hands down, some of the best found in books about edible plants.  And those photos of wild plants, cooked and ready to serve on the dinner table?   There’s only word to describe them:  Yum!

 

Outdoor Adventure Guides.  Winner. The Art of Shralpinism:  Lessons from the Mountains.  By Jeremy Jones.  Mountaineers Books Books, Seattle.  ISBN 9781680513301.

Undoubtedly, after taking a quick look at the cover, you’ll be thinking . . . what the heck is shralpinism?  Without giving too much away, it’s a combination of shredding – as in shredding snow – and alpinism.  Once you dive into the book, you’ll find this instructional guide unlike any other.  There are no photographs.  Rather it’s an assemblage of drawings, watercolors and text which ranges from type-set to hand-written notes.  It has a journal feel to it – in fact it consists of journal-like entries made by snowboarder Jeremy Jones as he shifted his interests from a racing career to a backcountry devotee.  Adding to the book’s appeal, Jones has supplemented his own thoughts with interviews of other experienced skiers and snowboarders. 

 

Outdoor Adventure Guides.  Silver Medalist.  Fly Fishing Houston & Southeastern Texas.  By Robert H. McConnell.  Imbrifex Books, Las Vegas.  ISBN 9781945501609.

Robert McConnell warns readers in his colorful fly fishing guide that many of the streams he has covered won’t end up appearing on postcards.  A good portion are in Houston and nearby urbanized areas:  forgotten, slow moving tannin-stained waters.  Some are even cement lined ditches.  But despite that, there are fish!  Plenty of fish.  And they are a delight to catch.  This fine guide includes everything you need to find these forgotten streams: maps and descriptions, helpful information on fly patterns, behavior characteristics of the fish, QR codes showing the best place to park, and GPS coordinates for legal access points.  Everything you’ll need for an hour, an afternoon – or a full day of fly fishing fun.

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