| History/Biography Category |
Winner. Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America. By Douglas Brinkley. Harper, New York. ISBN 9780060565282
Wilderness Warrior is an impeccably researched and thoroughly engrossing work on the one figure in history who set aside more of America's outdoor heritage than any other. Much has been written about Theodore Roosevelt, but in this ground-breaking, 940-page biography, Douglas Brinkley concentrates on Roosevelt the outdoorsman and conservationist, and in doing so, paints a vibrant portrait, as vibrant as the man himself. One word describes it all: bully!
| Outdoor Literature Category |
Winner. Halfway to Heaven. By Mark Obmascik. Free
Press/Simon & Schuster, New York. ISBN 9781416566991
In this fun, humorous, and warm-hearted story, Mark Obmascik sets out to climb all of Colorado's 14,000-foot mountains. But Obmascik, the father of three sons, has a problem. He is overweight and utterly out of shape. To get ready, he joins a spin class of mostly perimenopausal women. When he begins to slack off, the women prod him into keeping at it. He reciprocates by adjusting the wall fans for them when hot flashes hit. Then summer comes, and off he goes, chasing his dream to climb all 54 summits. It's a rollicking, non-stop adventure with an all-star cast of eccentrics and fanatics. But…does he make it? You'll find out in this delightfully and devilishly clever book.
Honorable Mention. Rowboat in a Hurricane: My Amazing Journey Across a Changing Ocean. By Julie Angus. Greystone Books, Vancouver. ISBN 9781553653370
In this riveting, true story, author Julie Angus, and her fiancée set out from Portugal in a 23-foot boat made from quarter inch plywood. Their goal: to row across the dangerous and capricious Atlantic ocean from Europe to Central America, a mere 6,000 miles. They row 16 hours a day, each rowing for 2-hour shifts. For 145 days they keep up this grueling routine. But there's more than interminable rowing. It's the same year as Hurricane Katrina and the Atlantic is seething with tropical storms. Their path takes them directly into the storms' midst.
| Design & Artistic Merit Category |
Winner. Lars Jonsson's Birds. Illustrations by Lars Jonsson. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 9780691141510
Avian lovers have always known that paintings bring out the true beauty of birds. One of the masters of this specialized art form is Lars Jonsson who lives on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea and is well known for his illustrated field guides to European birds. In this book Jonsson's prowess as a wildlife artist is in full display in the form of sketches, watercolors, oil paintings and lithographs. Explanatory text and commentary by Jonsson accompanies his captivating art.
| Classic Category |
Winner. Kayak: The New Frontier. By William Nealy. Menasha Ridge Press, Birmingham. ISBN 9780897325899
It is unfortunate that William Nealy left us so early. When he died in 2001, he was still young, at the height of his creative genus, and well established as the outdoor world's most famous cartoonist. His work was as zany and outrageous as it was smart and insightful. His best known book is Kayak which sold over 300,000 copies and was translated into five languages. And now Kayak is back. Thanks to Menasha Ridge Press, Kayak lives on with the release of a newly updated edition, just in time to entertain a new generation of paddlers.
Honorable Mention. Appalachian Odyssey: Walking the Trail from Georgia to Maine. By Steve Sherman and Julia Older. Author's Guild, New York. ISBN 9781440115301
We'll let the words of the late Edward Abbey speak on behalf of Appalachian Odyssey, first published in the 1970's: "It's a good book" he wrote in the preface. "In it you'll find everything you ever wanted to know about hiking the Great Hike. Everything and then some—none of the misery has been left out, none of the tedium, none of the chiggers, snakes, mosquitoes or odd-ball hikers, and none of the glory, exaltation and satisfaction either."
| Children's Category |
Winner. Whistling Wings. By Laura Goering. Illustrated by Laura Jacques. Sylvan Dell Publishing, Mt Pleasant, SC. ISBN 9781934359303
Whistling Wings is an eye-catching book for the 5-9 age group. Laura Goering's warm and inviting story combined with Laura Jacques luminous illustrations make this a winner for parents and children alike. It's about Marcel, a tundra swan. Marcel is flying south and stops at an inviting lake for food and rest. Still tired, he hides in the rushes as his parents and the other swans take off, leaving him behind. At first he's fine, but soon the lake begins to freeze and he finds himself in trouble. Hungry and scared, he falls asleep only to be awakened by a big surprise.
Honorable Mention. Operation Redwood. By S. Terrell French. Abrams/Amulet Books, New York. ISBN 9780810983540
Boys and girls of the pre-teen years will love this fast-paced novel. Quiet and studious Julian Carter-Li suddenly finds himself caught up in a fight to save some of the oldest trees on earth—and guess who he's up against: his powerful and greedy uncle Sibley and his wicked Aunt Daphne. Julian comes to the aid of Robin, a girl about his age who lives near the redwoods. As the story races along, the two discover important values of trust, honesty and commitment to a cause.
| Nature and Environment Category |
Winner. Our Living Earth. By Yann Arthus-Bertrand. Abrams/Books for Young Readers, New York. ISBN 9780810971325
Our Living Earth is a striking, large format book for readers of the teenage years. The book thoughtfully answers two questions: what does it mean to go green? And what can young people do to help protect life on earth? It's a world-wide look at environmental problems and potential solutions. Filled with Yann Arthus-Betrand's vivid photographs and supplemented with concise and instructive text, the book is sure to capture the attention of budding environmentalists and inspire them to do what they can to help the planet.
Honorable Mention. Sand: The Never Ending Story. By Michael Welland. University of California Press. Berkeley. ISBN 9780520254374
Sand? Is it really possible to write a book about sand? Indeed it is, and geologist Michael Welland is the perfect one to do it. Welland combines his natural story telling talents with a scientific background to weave together a fascinating account of nature's most ubiquitous substance.
| Natural History Literature |
Winner. Every Living Thing: Man's Obsessive Quest to Catalog Life, from Nanobacteria to New Monkeys. By Rob Dunn. Smithsonian Books. New York. ISBN 9780061430305
Fashioning a series of vivid portraits of driven, single-minded scientists, Dun traces the history of human discovery. Vignettes range from the establishment of a classification system, to a scientist's attempt to discover a rare ant, to another's quest to find every living thing in a jungle in Costa Rica. It's poetic, often humorous and filled with insight on the breakthroughs of the study of life.
| Nature Guidebook Category |
Winner. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America. By Roger Tory Peterson. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. ISBN 9780618966141
The Peterson Field Guides have been around for some time, but this new edition, released in the centennial year of Peterson's birth, conveniently combines his eastern and western guidebooks into one volume. The book includes 40 new paintings, newly rendered maps and updated text. It's all bundled into a first class package and is most certainly the bird watcher's bible.
Honorable Mention. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West. By Dennis Paulson. Princeton University Press. Princeton. ISBN 9780691122816
This is the first guidebook to all 348 species of dragonflies and damselflies found in western North America. Nicely sized and fully illustrated, the guide is perfect for use in the field. Almost every species is illustrated with photographs of both male and female members. Accompanying text includes natural history tidbits, habitat, range, flight season, and the all-important structural identifiers.
| Outdoor Adventure Guidebook Category |
Winner. Guide to the Green and Yampa Rivers in
Dinosaur National Monument. By Duwain Whitis and Barbara Vinson. RiverMaps, Buda, TX. ISBN 9870981935913
The Guide to the Green and Yampa Rivers is the newest member of an exceptional series of guidebooks published under the RiverMaps imprint. Everything about this guidebook is useful and practical from its tough, waterproof paper to its clear and thoughtful lay-out. Open it to any page, and on one side are concise and accurate descriptions of rapids, campsites and features of interest. On the facing page, positioned to match the text, are full-sized 7.5 minute topographic maps that you can read from the seat of your boat.
Honorable Mention. The Guide to Baja Sea Kayaking. By Dave Eckardt. Paddle Publishing, Eagle, CO. ISBN 97809645839914
Ah Baja! The sea kayaker's paradise. When the day comes and when you're ready to head out to paradise, this is the guidebook to take. It covers a total of 1,500 miles of Baja shoreline and describes the circumnavigation of 30 islands. All of the trips are neatly overlaid on crisp Landsat satellite photos.
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Winner. Girl on the Rocks: A Woman's Guide to Climbing with Strength, Grace and Courage. By Katie Brown. Photos by Ben Moon. Globe Pequot Press/Falcon Guides, Guilford, CN. ISBN 9780762745180
Katie Brown is one of the foremost female climbers in the world and couldn't be better suited to write this book. It's a very well done "how-to" guide, embellished with a classy, contemporary design and crisp I-wanna-do-that photographs. What's so appealing about this book is that it speaks to women with a woman's voice. Climbing, as Brown says is empowering, and through her words and example, she inspires women to try new things, live a full life and climb away.
Official NOBA reviews prepared by Ron Watters. Reviews are based on comments and insights provided by members of the judging panels. A special thanks to Katherine Daly for her editorial work.
| End of Listing: 2009 National Outdoor Book Awards |
Judges Natalie Bartley, Boise, ID Kelley Coburn, Victor, ID Val Cunningham, St. Paul, MN Dave Devoe, Walhalla, SC
Susanne Dubrouillet, State College, PA Laura Erickson,Ithaca, NY. Steve Guthrie, Lock Haven, PA Jim Fullerton, Pocatello, ID Dale Harrington, Boone, NC Rob Jones, Salt Lake City, UT Paul Kallmes, Oak Park, CA Rodney Ley, Fort Collins, CO James Moss, Littleton, CO Tom Mullin, Unity ME Sophie Osborn, Laramie, WY Jim Paruk, Ashland, WI. Tammie L. Stenger, Bowling Green, KY Ron Watters, Pocatello, ID Melanie Wulf, Geneva, IL |
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