2020 Outdoor Book Awards announced
November 11, 2020
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NOTE: Color scans (print quality), complete reviews, and other supplementary art work may be downloaded from: http://www.noba-web.org/bookrel20.htm.The hometowns of the authors are included at the end.
POCATELLO 鈥 The elusive and mysterious eel is a winner in this year鈥檚 National Outdoor Book Awards, which are sponsored by the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, 色花堂app and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education.
The eel is the subject of the book which took top honors in the Natural History Literature category, one of 10 highly competitive categories that make up the National Outdoor Book Awards.
A total of fourteen books were chosen as winners in this year's contest which is now in its 24th year.
鈥淭he Book of the Eel鈥 by Patrick Svensson pieces together humankind's long quest for knowledge about the creature, a quest that, interestingly enough, starts with Aristotle. Parts are also played by Sigmund Freud and Rachel Carson, but the star of the show is Johannes Schmidt who spends much of his life searching the world's oceans to find where European and American eels are birthed.
What we learn from Svensson鈥檚 work is that the eel remains as mysterious as ever. In fact, biologists still have not observed the eel鈥檚 most basic life function: reproduction in the wild.
鈥淭his is simply great writing,鈥 said John Miles, a judge for the contest and former dean and professor of Environmental Studies at Western Washington University. 鈥淚t is a marvelous book, done in a highly readable way, never descending into technicalities.鈥
Almost all of the books entered in the National Outdoor Book Awards are new books, published within the last year. The Classic category, however, accepts older books, and recognizes works which have shown to be of lasting significance in the outdoor world.
This year鈥檚 winner of the Classic award is 鈥淭he Only Kayak鈥 by Kim Heacox. Heacox is an Alaska based writer and the author of a dozen books. The judges were unanimous in their assessment that 鈥淭he Only Kayak鈥 was among Heacox鈥檚 best works. 鈥淭his is simply an outstanding book,鈥 said John Miles, 鈥渨ith powerful writing throughout.鈥
In the book, Kim Heacox writes of his years living and working in Glacier Bay. It is about paddling trips with friends, intimate encounters with wildlife, his work as a ranger, and excursions with an engaging young woman who, as it happens, becomes his life partner. 鈥淚 was tremendously impressed with the book,鈥 said Miles, 鈥渁nd believe it should be on the shelf of classics in the history of environmental writing.鈥
The winner of the History/Biography Category is 鈥淭he World Beneath Their Feet鈥 by Scott Ellsworth. Ellsworth covers mountaineering history from 1930 to 1953.
鈥淲hat separates this book from many other climbing histories is that Ellsworth approaches mountaineering from a cultural and political perspective,鈥 said Ron Watters, chair of the National Outdoor Book Awards.
鈥淭he British,鈥 said Watters, 鈥渁ware that the days of their great empire were numbered, sought to bolster national pride by attempting to climb the world's highest peaks. At the same time, the newly empowered Nazis looked to the Himalayas as a proving ground for Aryan superiority.鈥
And the Americans? 鈥淭hey were a motley lot of Ivy League College buddies itching to be a player in this high-stakes climbing game.鈥
The judges also chose a second winner in the History/Biography category: 鈥淟abyrinth of Ice鈥 by Buddy Levy.
鈥淟abyrinth of Ice鈥 is about the Greely polar expedition which was forced to make a desperate escape from the frozen north. 鈥淚t is one of the most harrowing expeditions of polar history,鈥 said Watters. 鈥淎uthor Buddy Levy tells this epic tale with finesse and intelligence.鈥
The winner of the Outdoor Literature category is 鈥淒ragons in the Snow鈥 by Edward Power. Power reconstructs avalanche accidents, dissecting what went wrong, all the while bringing in the voices of men and women on the front lines of the avalanche safety profession.
James Moss, a judge and outdoor industry attorney, calls it 鈥渁n exceptionally well-done book, one that holds your interest while at the same time, offering important, and possibly life saving, lessons on avalanche safety.鈥
The Design and Artistic Merit category honors outstanding photography and other forms of visual artwork. This year鈥檚 winner is 鈥淏eauty and the Beast: California鈥檚 Wildflowers and Climate Change鈥 by Rob Badger and Nita Winter. Moss found lots to like about this colorful, large format work: 鈥淭his is a book of wonder,鈥 he said, 鈥渁nd a celebratory feast for the eyes.鈥
Complete reviews of these and the other 2020 winners may be found at the National Outdoor Book Awards website at: .
Here is a list of winners.
Natural History Literature. Winner. 鈥淭he Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World.鈥 By Patrik Svensson. Ecco / HarperCollins, New York. ISBN 9780062968814
History/Biography. Winner. 鈥淭he World Beneath Their Feet: Mountaineering Madness and the Deadly Race to Summit the Himalayas.鈥 By Scott Ellsworth. Little, Brown and Company, New York. ISBN 9780316434867
History/Biography. Winner. 鈥淟abyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition.鈥 By Buddy Levy. St. Martin鈥檚 Press, New York. ISBN 9781250182197
Outdoor Literature. Winner. 鈥淒ragons in the Snow: Avalanche Detectives and the Race to Beat Death in the Mountains.鈥 By Edward Power. Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN9781680512960
Classic Winner. 鈥淭he Only Kayak: A Journey into the Heart of Alaska.鈥 By Kim Heacox. Lyons Press, Guilford, CT. ISBN 9781493049400
Design and Artistic Merit. Winner. 鈥淏eauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change.鈥 By Rob Badger and Nita Winter. Winter Badger Press and California Native Plant Society, Sausalito and Sacramento, CA. ISBN 9781733104401
Children's Category. Winner. 鈥淣ature Play Workshop for Families: A Guide to 40+ Outdoor Learning Experiences in All Seasons.鈥 By Monica Wiedel-Lubinski and Karen Madigan. Quarry Books, Beverly, MA. ISBN 9781631598685
Nature and the Environment. Winner. 鈥淪ecrets of Snakes: The Science Behind the Myths.鈥 By David A. Steen. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX. ISBN 9781623497972
Nature and the Environment. Winner. 鈥淎merica's Great Mountain Trails: 100 Highcountry Hikes of a Lifetime.鈥 By Tim Palmer. Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., New York. ISBN 9780847865420.
Nature Guidebooks. Winner. 鈥淔oraging Southern California: 118 Nutritious, Tasty and Abundant Foods.鈥 By Douglas Kent. Adventure Publications, Cambridge, MN. ISBN 9781591939153
Instructional. Winner. 鈥淧eak Nutrition: Smart Fuel for Outdoor Adventure.鈥 By Maria Hines and Mercedes Pollmeier. Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN 9781680512052
Instructional Honorable Mention. 鈥淐rack Climbing: The Definitive Guide. By Pete Whittaker.鈥 Illustrations by Alex Poyzer. Mountaineers Books, Seattle. ISBN 9781680512151.
Outdoor Adventure Guides. Winner. 鈥淔ly Fishing Austin and Central Texas.鈥 By Aaron Reed. Imbrifex Books, Las Vegas. ISBN 9781945501241.
Outdoor Adventure Guides. Winner. 鈥淗iking Lassen Volcanic National Park: A Guide to the Park's Greatest Hiking Adventures.鈥 By Tracy Salcedo. Falcon Guides, Guilford, CT. ISBN 9781493044047
Home Towns of Authors:
Natural History Literature. Winner. Patrik Svensson (Malmo, Sweden)
History/Biography. Winner. Scott Ellsworth (Ann Arbor, MI)
History/Biography. Winner. Buddy Levy (Moscow, ID)
Outdoor Literature. Winner. Edward Power (Eden, UT)
Classic. Winner. Kim Heacox (Gustavus, AK)
Design and Artistic Merit. Winner. Rob Badger (Sausalito, CA) and Nita Winter (Sausalito, CA)
Children's Category. Winner. By Monica Wiedel-Lubinski (Baltimore, MD) and Karen Madigan (Owings Mills, MD)
Nature and the Environment. Winner. David A. Steen (Gainesville, FL)
Nature and the Environment. Winner. Tim Palmer (Port Oxford, OR)
Nature Guidebooks. Winner. Douglas Kent (Orange, CA)
Instructional. Winner. Maria Hines (Seattle, WA) and Mercedes Pollmeier (Seattle, WA)
Instructional. Honorable Mention. Pete Whittaker (Sheffield, UK). Illustrations by Alex Poyzer (London, UK).
Outdoor Adventure Guides. Winner. Aaron Reed (Georgetown, TX)
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