| Outdoor Literature Category |
Winner. Rowing to Latitude. By Jill Fredston. Published by North Point Press, New York. ISBN 0374281807.
In her debut book, Rowing to Latitude, Jill Fredston emerges as a fresh new voice in outdoor literature: witty, touching, literate, bold and honest. She also emerges as a true adventurer. Pioneering the use of a recreational rowing shell, similar in shape and size to a sea kayak, she and her husband travel more than twenty thousand miles through the Arctic and sub-Arctic. This book is the story of those journeys, but intricately woven among them are the joys and struggles of her life. It's a marvelous book, one that will carry you away to the great hinterlands of the north latitudes.
| History/Biography Category |
Winner. Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism.
By Char Miller. Published by Island Press/Shearwater Books, Washington. ISBN 1559638222.
Gifford Pinchot was the first chief of the Forest Service. To
this day, his influence is still being felt on the policies which guide
the management of lands used by hundreds of thousands of Americans for
hiking, climbing, biking, fishing and other forms of outdoor adventure.
Yet Pinchot is a controversial figure, the bad guy in a bitter battle with
the great conservationist, John Muir. This eminently readable and
erudite biography of Pinchot, the first in over forty years, reveals a
much more complicated man, and sheds new light on Pinchot's contributions
and place in conservation history.
Honorable
Mention. Arctic Crossing: One Man's 2,200 Mile
Odyssey Among the Inuit. By Jonathan Waterman. Published
by the Lyons Press/Globe Pequot, Guilford, CT. ISBN1585747300.
This is the story of Jonathan Waterman's attempt to cross the Northwest Passage by kayak, ski, dogsled and sailboat. More than an expedition narrative, Waterman also writes about the history and his encounters with the native people of the north country, the Inuit. Backed by solid research and written in an introspective style, it's an illuminating portrait of one man and Arctic culture.
| Design & Artistic Merit |
Winner. Wilder Mississippi. Photographs by Stephen Kirkpatrick.
Text by Marlo Carter Kirkpatrick. Design by Heidi Flynn Allen.
Published by The Marvelous Works, Madison, MS. ISBN
0961935359.
No matter where you are—in the city, in an office, or in a bookstore
in a busy shopping center—open this book to the first page, you're suddenly
someplace else: to a place of quiet sounds, the flutter of wings,
the rustle of a white tail, the drip of morning dew. This is a book
of subtleties, of elegance and of mesmerizing images of Mississippi's natural
world. Stephen Kirkpatrick's brilliant and captivating photography
is complemented with an equally captivating design. So carefully
executed are the design elements that even the text of the book's subtitles
resembles reeds protruding from the surface of a pond. It all comes
together beautifully and harmoniously, a joyful pictorial hymn, celebrating
the wilderness of Mississippi.
Honorable Mention. The Southwest's Contrary Land: Forever Changing Between Four Corners and the Sea of Cortes. By Craig Childs. Designed by Mary Winkelman Velgos. Photography Editor: Peter Ensenberger. Published by Arizona Highways Books. Phoenix. AZ. ISBN1893860191.
For many years, Arizona Highways has been publishing colorful, high quality books of the Southwest—and this is one that excels both pictorially and textually. Craig Childs' sensitive and inspired text is supplemented by intelligent design and magnificent photography.
| Nature & the Environment Category |
Winner. Down to Earth: Nature's Role in American History. By
Ted Steinberg. Published by Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN
0195140095.
In this fascinating and ground-breaking book, Steinberg investigates American history from a new and unique perspective: from that of the natural environment. He argues convincingly that events as diverse as colonization, the industrial revolution, the civil war, the western gold rush and many others were shaped and influenced by nature. It's an important seminal work and one that leads toward a better understanding of the interrelationship of man and the environment.
Honorable
Mention. Listening to Whales: What the
Orcas Have Taught Us. By Alexandra Morton. Published by
Ballantine Books, New York. ISBN 034543794.
This, quite simply, is a wonderful book. Alexandra Morton makes
a strong case for the orca's continued life on earth. She does
this so remarkably well and in such an engaging style that you'll find
yourself quickly drawn into the story of her life and research work with
whales.
Honorable
Mention. The Southwest Inside Out: An Illustrated
Guide to the Land and It's History. By Thomas Wiewandt and Maureen
Wilks. Wild Horizons Publishing. Tucson, AZ ISBN
1879728036.
This richly illustrated and designed book describes the earthly processes and events that shape the land and wildlife of the Southwest. The writing and research are excellent and there's something new to be learned on every page.
| Children's Category |
Winner. Wild Wings: Poems for Young People. By Jane Yolen. Photographs by Jason Stemple. Published by Wordsong and Boyds Mills Press, Honesdale, PA. ISBN 1563979047.
Wild Wings is a beautiful collaborative effort between author
Jane Yolen and her son, Jason, the book's photographer. The images,
both visual and verbal, can't help but engage a child's interest and nurture
a desire to learn about birds. For ages: 10-12.
Honorable
Mention. Ladybugs: Red, Fiery and Bright.
By Mia Posada. Published by Carolrhoda Books, Minneapolis. ISBN
0876143346.
Through verse and bright, colorful illustrations, children will delight
in the tiny world of ladybugs. They'll learn something too as they
watch them grow from small larvae with long, skinny legs into a bright
and beautiful red beetles with shiny black spots.
For ages:
3-8.
.
| Nature Guidebook Category |
Winner. Lichens of North America. By Irwin M. Brodo, Sylvia Duran Sharnoff and Stephen Sharnoff. Published by Yale University Press, New Haven. ISBN 0811726967.
When you spend time in the outdoors you'll see them: rocks with crusty
patterned growths of orange and yellow, trees with dangling, wispy dark
green beards, and forest floors laid with a soft, creamy, moss-like carpet.
They're lichens and this is the book to use to identify them: the first
definitive guide to lichens in North America. It's a masterpiece
of imagery, text and science. Be prepared: it's comprehensive, nearly
800 pages long, but the authors and publisher have carefully designed it
to be useful to all, specialists and novices, alike.
Honorable
Mention. Bird Tracks & Sign: A Guide to North American Species.
By Mark Elbroch and Eleanor Marks. Published by Stackpole Books,
Mechanicsburg, PA. ISBN 0811726967.
Bird Tracks & Sign is an innovative, major new contribution
to the study of North American birds and is destined to become an indispensable
reference. .
| Outdoor Adventure Category |
Winner. Hiking the Sierra Nevada. By John Mock and Kimberley
O'Neil. Published by Lonely Planet Publications, Footscray, Australia. ISBN 1740592727.
Hiking the Sierra Nevada is a user friendly, rock-solid guidebook
with clear writing, useful topographic maps, inviting photos, and it's
conveniently sized to fit in the side pocket of your pack.
Honorable
Mention. Alaska: A Climbing Guide. By Michael
Wood and Colby Coombs. Published by The Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN
089886724X.
If you're planning a climb in Alaska, this is the book to consult. Nicely designed and well-written, it covers history and climbing routes throughout the state.
| Instructional Category |
Winner. The Complete Sea Kayaker's Handbook. By Shelley
Johnson. Published by Ragged Mountain Press, Camden, NH. ISBN
007136210X.
It's all here in one well organized, well illustrated and well written
book: equipment, clothing, technique, navigation, safety, camping
and trip planning. The title says it all. It truly is the complete
sea kayaker's handbook.
Honorable
Mention. The Mountain Traveller's Handbook.
By Paul Deegan. British Mountaineering Council, Manchester, UK. ISBN
0903908476.
Packed with solid and useful advice, use this creatively designed and
colorfully illustrated book to plan treks and explore the mountains of
distant lands.
.
| Classic Category |
Honorable Mention. Backwoods Ethics: A Guide to Low-Impact Camping and Hiking. By Laura and Guy Waterman. Published by The Countryman Press, Woodstock. VT. ISBN 088150257X.
Laura and Guy Waterman weren't the first to write about the impacts of recreation on wild lands, but their book Backwoods Ethics, originally published in 1979, is still with us today, and still remains a thoughtful and sensible call to action. The book has a significant following, particularly in the east, where many of their original suggestions continue to guide trail building and land management programs.
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.
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Judges Natalie Bartley, Boise, ID Val Cunningham, St. Paul, MN Whit Deschner, Baker, OR Dave Devoe, Walhalla, SC Ann Dixon, Willow, AK Susanne Dubrouillet, State College, PA Laura Erickson, Duluth, MN. Jim Fullerton, Pocatello, ID Rachel Galloway, Bloomington, IN Steve Guthrie, Unity ME Joan Hamilton, Berkeley, CA Rodney Ley, Fort Collins, CO Tim Moore, Boston, MA James Moss, Lakewood, CO Tom Mullin, Unity ME Jim Paruk, Quincy, CA. Kalee Thompson, New York City, NY Ron Watters, Pocatello, ID Melanie Wulf, Geneva, IL
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