| Outdoor Literature Category |
Winner. The Beckoning Silence. By Joe Simpson. Published
by The Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN 0898869412
This is the story of a mountaineer in the autumn of his career coming to grips with his own mortality and dwindling physical resources. An extraordinary storyteller, Joe Simpson takes us on a series of adventures which span the globe, culminating in one final, career-ending climb of the North Face of the Eiger. Simpson is at his best when the chips are down and the line between life and disaster is stretched paper thin. Hold onto your seat. In The Beckoning Silence, Simpson is at his best.
| History/Biography Category | |
Winner. Southern Exposure: A Solo Sea
Kayaking Journey Around New Zealand's South Island.
By Chris Duff. Published by Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT. ISBN 0762725958
With this book, Chris Duff solidly establishes
himself as a leading voice in outdoor adventure writing. His previous
work, On Celtic Tides chronicled his circumnavigation of Ireland,
but in Southern Exposure, the stakes are higher. Here, the
waves loom larger, the shoreline more forbidding, and weather more unforgiving.
Duff is up to the task and has created an engrossing and mesmerizing account
that sweeps the reader along.
Honorable
Mention. Women on High: Pioneers of Mountaineering.
By Rebecca A. Brown. Published by Appalachian Mountain Club Books,
Boston, MA ISBN 192917313X
This is a wonderful new addition to our understanding of the history of women mountaineers. In Women on High, Rebecca Brown chronicles the mountaineering exploits of a dozen or more women, nearly all of whom climbed in the 1800's. While some of the women are known figures in the mountaineering world, Brown's research has also turned up some new interesting personalities and their storie
| Design & Artistic Merit | |
Winner. First Light: Acadia National Park and Maine's Mount Desert
Island. Photography by Tom Blagden, Jr. Text by Charles
R. Tyson, Jr. Published by Friends of Acadia in combination with Westcliffe Publishers. ISBN 1565794729
First Light is one of those rare books that excels in all measures of an artistic achievement. It's an impressive and fitting tribute to Acadia, the Northeast's only national park. From Tom Blagden's inspiring and impassioned photography to the book's careful and sensitive design, and to the printer's nearly perfect reproduction, this work sparkles and dazzles. Quite simply, First Light is a tour de force.
| Nature and the Environment |
Winner. Ice Island: Expedition to Antarctica's Largest Iceberg. By Gregory S. Stone. Published by the New England Aquarium, Boston
MA. ISBN 1593730179
In the Year 2000, a mammoth iceberg calved off Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf. The iceberg, known as B-15 was the world's largest, 4,500 square miles in size and holding enough fresh water to supply the United States for five years. This is the story of the team of scientists and divers who set off in a small research ship named Braveheart to study a portion of the iceberg. Richly illustrated and beautifully designed, it's a marvelous story about adventure, science and the future of humankind.
| Children's Category |
Winner. Dot and Jabber and the Big Bug
Mystery. By Ellen Stoll Walsh. Published by Hartcourt,
ISBN 0152165185
Dot and Jabber are mice—mighty dapper looking
mice, we might add—and they have an interesting
vocation. They are detectives. Their job in the Big Bug
Mystery is to find out what happened to all the bugs in the meadow
that have suddenly disappeared. There's no mystery, however, about
this sweetly written and illustrated book. It's a winner and will
excite the imaginations of pre-school and kindergarten aged children.
Winner. Jam & Jelly by Holly & Nellie. By Gloria
Whelan. Illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen. Published
by Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, MI. ISBN 1585361097
This story is about a young girl, Holly, whose family lives in the country in the upper Midwest. It is a particularly difficult time for the family and there's little money available to purchase Holly a coat for the winter. Then Nellie, Holly's mother comes up with an idea: they'll pick berries and sell jam and jelly. What makes this book work so well is the harmony between Gloria Whelan's realistic and nuanced prose and Frankenhuysen's bright and animated character studies. For ages 4-10.
| Nature Guidebook Category |
Winner. Mammal
Tracks and Sign: A Guide to North American Species. By Mark Elbroch.
Published by Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA. ISBN 0811726266
Mammal Tracks and Sign is one of the most thorough and complete
guides to animal tracking ever published. Going beyond where other
books leave off, it combines text, drawings, maps and more than 1,000 color
photos to unravel the mysteries of North American mammal tracks and signs.
Mark Elbroch has poured himself into this book, writing the text, taking
the photos and preparing the drawings. It's a monumental effort and
an invaluable reference for anyone who enjoys tracking and viewing wildlife.
Honorable Mention. The
Rockfishes of the Northeast Pacific. By Milton S. Love, Mary
Yoklavich, and Lyman Thorsteinson. Published by University of California
Press, Berkeley, CA. ISBN 0520234383
Who says that scientists can't have a little fun? This 400-page, well-illustrated and scrupulously scientific book is a significant contribution to our understanding of the rockfishes. It's also a delight to read.
| Outdoor Adventure Guidebook Category |
Winner. 100 Hikes in Yosemite National Park. By Marc J.
Soares. Published by The Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN
089886867X
Yosemite is a thoughtfully designed, full-color guide to Yosemite
National Park and surrounding areas. The book's colorful, three dimensional
maps aid in planing your hikes and give you a birds-eye view of the lay
of the land.
Honorable
Mention. 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest: Eastern
Washington, Northern Rockies, Wallowas. By Rich Landers and the
Spokane Mountaineers. Published by The Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN 0898869080
Outdoor columnist, Rich Landers in combination with the Spokane Mountaineers,
has penned the perfect companion for hiking in the Northern Rockies.
Deeply concerned about the outdoor environment, Landers not only writes
about it, but he acts too, donating all proceeds from the sale of the book
to trail maintenance.
Honorable
Mention. Trekking Washington. By Mike Woodmansee.
Published by The Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN
0898869048
This attractive guide, illustrated with color photos and a new type of shaded-relief map, is designed for long distance hikers. Treks start at 30 miles in length and run to 240 miles.
| Nature Guidebook Category |
Winner. Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide through the Fields, Woods and Marshes of New England. By Mary Holland. Trafalger Square Books, North Pomfret, VT. ISBN 9781570764257
Naturally Curious is a marvelous new nature guide. And quite naturally, it’s by Mary Holland, one of the East’s most seasoned naturalists. She’s also something of a Renaissance woman: educator, advocate, columnist, and photographer. In fact, all 900 color photographs in Naturally Curious are Holland’s. What makes this guide stand out is the way it’s organized. Starting in March, with the first signs of spring, it covers the changes in the natural world, on a month to month basis. You can’t go wrong with this guidebook. It’s one that you’ll use over and over—naturally.
| Instructional Category |
Winner. Basic Canoeing: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get
Started. By Jon Rounds and Wayne Dickert. Photographs by
Skip Brown. Illustrations by Taina Litwak. Published by Stackpole
Books, Mechanicsburg, PA. ISBN 01811726444
This intelligently conceived book starts from the beginning and takes
you step-by-step through the techniques of canoeing. Basic Canoeing stands out with its clear writing, effective design, and the liberal use
of photographs and illustrations.
.
|
Winner. Alone. By Richard E. Byrd. Published by Island
Press, Washington, DC. ISBN 1559634634
Alone is the story of Richard Bryd's six months of isolation in a remote weather station in Antarctica in 1933. The lack of companionship, coupled with the long, black days of the interminable polar winter, extract a mental and physical toll from Byrd. Yet there is something else, some other sinister element at the root of the explorer's deteriorating condition. Almost before it is too late, Byrd discovers that he has been slowly poisoned by a carbon monoxide leak from a defective stove installation. Reissued by Island Press, this classic story of Arctic adventure is now available to a new generation of readers.
.
| Work of Significance |
AMC White Mountain Guide: Hiking Trails of the White Mountain National
Forest. Compiled and Edited by Gene Daniell and Steven D. Smith.
Published by Appalachian Mountain Club Books, Boston, MA. ISBN
1929173229
The White Mountain Guide is the oldest continuously published hiking guide in the United States. First published in 1907, it has led the way for generations of hikers through the White Mountains of Maine and New Hampshire. If it's not quite gospel, it's darn close. No space is wasted: no graphics, no photos, and no nonsense. Just reliable and accurate information. With six full-color, pull-out maps, it is a ready-to-go package.
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: 2003 National Outdoor Book Awards |
Judges Natalie Bartley, Boise, ID Mary Kay Cunningham, Portland, OR Val Cunningham, St. Paul, MN Dave Devoe, Walhalla, SC Jerry Dixon, Seward, AK Susanne Dubrouillet, State College, PA Rachel Duchak, Dayton, OH Laura Erickson, Duluth, MN. Jim Fullerton, Pocatello, ID Steve Guthrie, Unity ME Joan Hamilton, Berkeley, CA Dale Harrington, Boone, NC Paul Kallmes, Thousand Oaks, CA Rodney Ley, Fort Collins, CO John Miles, Bellingham, WA James Moss, Lakewood, CO Tom Mullin, Unity ME Jim Paruk, Quincy, CA. Tammie L. Stenger, Cape Girardeau, MO Kalee Thompson, New York City, NY Ann Weiler Walka, Flagstaff, AZ Ron Watters, Pocatello, ID Melanie Wulf, Geneva, IL
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