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色花堂app announces 2018 National Outdoor Book Award winners

November 15, 2018

Book cover of Edges of the Earth

POCATELLO, Idaho – A race to reach the North and South Poles. A trip down the Arkansas River. An investigation of a murder deep within the Grand Canyon.  These and more are among the winners of 2018 National Outdoor Book Awards. 

Sponsors of the program include the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, 色花堂app and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education.

The exploration of the North and South Poles is the subject of this year鈥檚 winner of the History/Biography category: 鈥淭o the Edges of the Earth鈥 by Edward Larson.  Larson concentrates on one year when explorers are on the verge of attaining some of the great prizes in polar exploration. 

That year is 1909.  Expeditions are underway at the top and bottom of the globe.  It is the year in which some of the great figures in exploration make their marks: U.S. Naval Officer, Robert Peary; African American adventurer, Matthew Henson; Italy鈥檚 Duke of the Abruzzi; and Britain鈥檚 Ernest Shackleton. 

鈥溾楾o the Edges of the Earth鈥 is quite simply great writing backed up by great research,鈥 said Ron Watters, chair of the National Outdoor Book Awards.  鈥淭o give you some idea of the extent of the research for the book, Edward Larson, the author, travelled to the South Pole. If you enjoy adventure literature, you can鈥檛 go wrong with this book.鈥

Larson鈥檚 book is one of 14 winning books in this year鈥檚 award program. 

Awards are presented in 10, often highly competitive, categories.  The competition in the History/Biography category was so intense this year that the judges chose a second winner.

Elevations Book CoverThat second winner is 鈥淓levations: A Personal Exploration of the Arkansas River鈥 by Max McCoy.

The book describes McCoy鈥檚 kayaking experience on the Arkansas River from its source in Colorado, across Kansas to an ending point near the Oklahoma border.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not only a story about kayaking the Arkansas River, it鈥檚 also about the cultural history of the river,鈥 said Jim Moss, an outdoor industry attorney and a long time judge for the program.  鈥淢cCoy does an excellent job of blending stories of the river鈥檚 past as he paddles his way downstream.鈥

The investigation into a murder in the Grand Canyon is the subject of the winner of the Outdoor Literature Category. Titled 鈥淧ure Land,鈥 it was written by Backpacker Magazine鈥檚 Southwest Editor, Annette McGivney. 

McGivney鈥檚 research involved repeated trips down an eight-mile trail to the small Native American village of Supai and nearby Havasu Creek, a popular backpacker鈥檚 destination.

鈥淭his is an extraordinarily well crafted work,鈥 Watters said. 鈥淥ver a period of years, McGivney dug deeply into two lives, both who come from greatly differing backgrounds and cultures, and both who came together one fateful and tragic day. The deeper she digs, however, the more she finds her own life drawn into the narrative. In the end, the book is no longer about two lives. It鈥檚 about three.鈥

Naturalist at Large book coverTwo winners were selected in the Natural History Literature category.  The first is 鈥淎 Naturalist at Large,鈥 consisting of a collection of essays by Bernd Heinrich.

鈥淗enrich is one of the finest nature writers of our time,鈥 Watters said. 鈥淗e writes in a down-to-earth, easy-going style that all can enjoy.鈥

The other winner in Natural History is 鈥淩ising: Dispatches from the New American Shore鈥 by Elizabeth Rush. Rush鈥檚 book addresses climate change and specifically focuses on the rise of sea level along America鈥檚 coastlines. She visits Maine, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Florida, Oregon and California, where she examines damage to coastal environments and interviews people whose homes and livelihoods are at risk or have already been washed away. 

John Miles, who is a judge for the awards program and the former dean of environmental studies at Huxley College, calls Rush鈥檚 book 鈥渁 powerful work and a sophisticated analyses about one of the most pressing issues of our time.鈥

The winner of the Design and Artistic Merit category is 鈥淪age Grouse: Icon of the West.鈥  This coffee table-sized book is filled with photographs by Noppadol Paothong. 

"In nearly every photo, he has managed to obtain the perfect marriage of subject, angle, light and background," said James Moss. "This is an outstanding work of art and a testament to this enduring icon of the west."

The Children鈥檚 Book winner is 鈥淥regon & Washington 50 Hikes With Kids鈥 by Wendy Gorton. Gorton鈥檚 book is designed to be taken along on hikes with children. The hikes were carefully evaluated by Gorton for their appropriateness for children, primarily in the 3-8 year range. Along with each hike, she has included a treasure hunt in which children try to find the flora and fauna pictured in the book.

Complete reviews of these and the other 2018 winners may be found at the National Outdoor Book Awards website at:  .

Here is a list of winners. 

鈥 History/Biography. Winner. 鈥淭o the Edges of the Earth: 1909, the Race for the Three Poles.鈥  By Edward J. Larson.  William Morrow, New York.  ISBN  9780062564474. 

鈥 History/Biography. Winner. 鈥淓levations: A Personal Exploration of the Arkansas River.鈥  By Max McCoy.  University Press of Kansas,  Lawrence, KS. ISBN  9780700626021.

鈥 Outdoor Literature. Winner. 鈥淧ure Land: A True Story of Three Lives and the Search for Heaven on Earth.鈥  By Annette McGivney.  AUXmedia, Detroit.  ISBN9780998527888.

鈥 Natural History Literature. Winner. 鈥淎 Naturalist at Large: The Best Essays of Bernd Heinrich.鈥  By Bernd Heinrich.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston.  ISBN  9780544986831.

鈥&苍产蝉辫;Natural History Literature. Winner. 鈥淩ising: Dispatches from the New American Shore.鈥  By Elizabeth Rush.  Milkweed Editions.  Minneapolis. ISBN 9781571313676.

鈥 Design and Artistic Merit. Winner. 鈥淪age Grouse: Icon of the West.鈥  Photographed by Noppadol Paothong.  Text by Kathy Love.  Design by Stephanie Thurber and Susan Ferber.  Laguna Wilderness Press, Laguna Beach, CA.  ISBN 9780984000739.

鈥 Nature and the Environment. Winner. 鈥淭he Snake and the Salamander:  Reptiles and Amphibians from Maine to Virginia.鈥  By Alvin R. Breisch.  Illustrated by Matt Patterson.  John Hopkins University Press.  Baltimore.  ISBN 9781421421575.

鈥 Classic. Winner. 鈥淣OLS Cookery.鈥  Edited by Claudia Pearson.  Illustrated by Mike Clelland.  Stackpole Books, Lanham, MD.  ISBN 9780811719810.

鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. Winner. 鈥淥regon & Washington 50 Hikes With Kids.鈥  By Wendy Gorton.  Timber Press, Portland, OR.  ISBN 9781604698008.

鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. Honorable Mention. 鈥淏elle鈥檚 Journey:  An Osprey Takes Flight.鈥  By Rob Bierregaard.  Illustrated by Kate Garchinsky.  Charlesbridge, Watertown, MA.  ISBN9781580897921.

鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. Honorable Mention. 鈥淭he Kid鈥檚 Guide to Birds of Minnesota.鈥  By Stan Tekiela.  Illustrations by Elleyna Ruud.  Design by Jonathan Norberg.  Adventure Publications, Cambridge, MN.  ISBN 9781591937869.

鈥 Outdoor Adventure Guides. Winner. 鈥淒iscovering the John Muir Trail: An Inspirational Guide to America鈥檚 Most Beautiful Hike.鈥  By Damon Corso.  Falcon Press, Guilford, CT  ISBN 9781493031245.

鈥&苍产蝉辫;Nature Guidebooks. Winner. 鈥淏utterflies of the Pacific Northwest.鈥  By Robert Michael Pyle and Caitlin C. LaBar.  Timber Press, Portland, OR.  ISBN 9781604696936.
 
鈥 Instructional. Winner. 鈥淭he Ultimate Guide to Whitewater Rafting and River Camping.鈥  By Molly Absolon.  Falcon Press, Guilford, CT  ISBN 9781493032334.

 

Home Towns of Authors

鈥 History/Biography. Winner. To the Edges of the Earth.  By Edward J. Larson.  Malibu, CA

鈥 History/Biography. Winner. Elevations,  By Max McCoy.  Emporia, KS

鈥 Outdoor Literature. Winner. Pure Land.  By Annette McGivney.  Flagstaff, AZ

鈥 Natural History Literature. Winner. A Naturalist at Large.  By Bernd Heinrich.  Weld, ME

鈥 Natural History Literature. Winner.  Rising.  By Elizabeth Rush.  Providence, RI

鈥 Design and Artistic Merit. Winner. Sage Grouse.  Photographed by Noppadol Paothong.  Columbia, MO

鈥 Nature and the Environment. Winner. The Snake and the Salamander.  By Alvin R. Breisch.  Altamont, NY

鈥 Classic. Winner. NOLS Cookery.  Edited by Claudia Pearson.  Lander, WY

鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. Winner. Oregon & Washington 50 Hikes With Kids.  By Wendy Gorton.  Portland, OR

鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. Honorable Mention. Belle鈥檚 Journey.  By Rob Bierregaard.  Wynnewood, PA

鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. Honorable Mention. The Kid鈥檚 Guide to Birds of Minnesota.  By Stan Tekiela.  Victoria, MN

鈥 Outdoor Adventure Guides. Winner. Discovering the John Muir Trail.  By Damon Corso.  North Hollywood, CA

鈥 Nature Guidebooks. Winner. Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest.  By Robert Michael Pyle and Caitlin C. LaBar.  Gray鈥檚 River, WA

鈥 Instructional. Winner. The Ultimate Guide to Whitewater Rafting and River Camping.  By Molly Absolon.  Victor, ID

 

Judges (quoted in release) - Home Towns

 鈥&苍产蝉辫;John Miles, El Prado, NM

 鈥 Jim Moss - Littleton, CO


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