Winners of 20th annual 2017 National Outdoor Book Awards announced by 蜜桃视频
November 15, 2017
POCATELLO – The works of John Gierach were honored among the winners of 2017 National Outdoor Books. This year is the 20th anniversary of the awards, which are among the most prestigious honors in outdoor writing and publishing.
Gierach鈥檚 most recent book 鈥淎 Fly Rod of Your Own鈥 was selected as the winner of the Outdoor Literature category, and in selecting Gierach鈥檚 book, the judges also wanted to recognize his body of work which now totals more than 20 books.
鈥淎 Fly Rod of Your Own,鈥 like his previous titles, consists of a series of stories about fishing and life in general. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no better way to bring back memories of your own fishing trips, said Ron Watters, the Chair of the awards program 鈥渢han to read some yarns by John Gierach. He has a wonderful sense of humor and a warm, inviting quality to his writing that makes him a pleasure to read.鈥
Gierach鈥檚 book is one of 16 winning books in this year鈥檚 award program. Sponsors of the program include the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, 蜜桃视频 and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education.
Awards are presented in 10, often highly competitive, categories.
鈥淭his year鈥檚 Outdoor Literature category,鈥 said Watters, 鈥渉ad such an impressive field of books that the judges decided to name two winners and an honorable mention in that category.鈥
The other winner in the Outdoor Literature category is 鈥淥n Trails: An Exploration鈥 by Robert Moor. 鈥淢oor鈥檚 book,鈥 said Watters, 鈥渋s a little bit of everything about trails: history, philosophy, science. It鈥檚 about hiking trails, of course, but Moor goes further, expanding upon the normal concept of trails, and taking us on a roller coaster of an intellectual journey, full of surprises at every turn.鈥
Receiving honorable mention in the Outdoor Literature category is a book about the climbing and river running adventures of Erik Weihenmayer who is blind. Entitled 鈥淣o Barriers,鈥 it was co-written by Weihenmayer and Buddy Levy.
Weihenmayer was the first blind person to climb Mt. Everest, the subject of a previous book. 鈥淣o Barriers鈥 chronicles his life after Everest which culminates with a kayak journey down the rapids of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.
鈥淭here was no disagreement among the judges,鈥 said Watters of 鈥淣o Barriers.鈥 鈥淚t is simply a stirring and inspirational book.鈥
Top honors in the History Biography Category were awarded to Bernadette McDonald鈥檚 "Art of Freedom: The Life and Climbs of Voytek Kurtya." James Moss, an outdoor industry attorney and one of the judges, called McDonald鈥檚 book "a masterpiece of a biography." Voytek Kurtya, the subject of the biography is from Poland and is known for his bold and lightning-fast ascents of big, unclimbed walls in the Himalaya. "This is a work of outstanding artistry," said Moss, "and a powerful and moving portrait of Kurtya鈥檚 life."
"Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean" by Jonathan White won the Natural History Literature category. Over a several year period, White traveled the globe, seeking out unusual and dangerous tides, and he interweaves these adventures with the science of tides. Ann Walka, a judge and natural history poet from Arizona said 鈥淛onathan White does what an excellent writer can do, lure you into an unfamiliar world, take you on adventures, change you with intriguing images and ideas.鈥
A father and son team won the Children鈥檚 category with 鈥淧up the Sea Otter.鈥 Jonathan London wrote the story, and his son, Sean, did the illustrations.
鈥淭his is a tender story of a ball of fur named Pup,鈥 said Watters, 鈥淎long with Sean London鈥檚 eye-catching illustrations, the book is the perfect bedtime treat for little ones in the four to eight year range.鈥
The winner of the Nature and the Environment category is 鈥淢onarchs and Milkweeds.鈥 Authored by biodiversity expert Anurag Agrawal, it delves into the complicated relationship between the monarch and the milkweed.
鈥溾橫onarchs and Milkweeds鈥欌 is not only about a butterfly,鈥 says nature writer and judge Val Cunningham, 鈥渂ut it also gives us a peek into the mind of an inventive scientist, one who clearly admires his subject and who guides us to a better understanding of this most remarkable creature.鈥
David Yarrow won the Design and Artistic Merit category with 鈥淲ild Encounters: Iconic Photographs of the World鈥檚 Vanishing Animals and Cultures.鈥
鈥淵arrow is one the virtuosos of black-and-white wildlife photography,鈥 said Watters. 鈥淭his portfolio-sized book includes some of his finest work and clearly depicts a photographer at the height of his artistic powers.鈥
Complete reviews of these and the other 2017 winners may be found at the National Outdoor Book Awards website at: .
Here is a list of winners.
鈥 Outdoor Literature. Winner. 鈥淎 Fly Rod of Your Own.鈥 By John Gierach. Simon and Schuster, New York. ISBN 9781451618341.
鈥 Outdoor Literature. Winner. 鈥淥n Trails: An Exploration.鈥 By Robert Moor. Simon and Schuster, New York. ISBN 9781476739236
鈥 Outdoor Literature. Honorable Mention. 鈥淣o Barriers: A Blind Man鈥檚 Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon.鈥 By Erik Weihenmayer and Buddy Levy. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin鈥檚 Press. New York. ISBN 9781250088789.
鈥 History/Biography. Winner. 鈥淎rt of Freedom: The Life and Climbs of Voytek Kurtyka.鈥 By Bernadette McDonald. Rocky Mountain Books, Vancouver, BC. ISBN 9781771602129.
鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. Winner. 鈥淧up the Sea Otter.鈥 By Jonathan London. Illustrated by Sean London. WestWinds Press/Graphic Arts Books, Portland. ISBN 978194332887
鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. Honorable Mention. 鈥淭reecology: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Trees and Forests.鈥 By Monica Russo. Photographs by Kevin Byron. Chicago Review Press, Chicago. ISBN 9871613733967
鈥 Nature and Environment. Winner. 鈥淢onarchs and Milkweed.鈥 By Anurag Agrawal. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 9780691166353
鈥 Nature and the Environment. Honorable Mention. 鈥淭he Pipestone Wolves: The Rise and Fall of a Wolf Family.鈥 By G眉nther Bloch. Photography by John E. Marriott. Rocky Mountain Books, Vancouver, BC. ISBN 9781771601603
鈥 Design and Artistic Merit. Winner. 鈥淲ild Encounters: Iconic Photographs of the World鈥檚 Vanishing Animals and Cultures.鈥 Photography and Commentary by David Yarrow. Rizzoli, New York. ISBN 9780847858323.
鈥 Classic. Winner. 鈥淜ingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder.鈥 By Kenn Kaufman. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. ISBN 9780618709403
鈥 Instructional Category. Winner. 鈥淏ackpacker Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike.鈥 By Liz Thomas. Falcon Guides, Lanham, MD. ISBN 9871493028726
鈥 Instructional Category. Winner. 鈥淏ig Walls, Swift Waters: Epic Stories from Yosemite Search and Rescue.鈥 By Charles R. 鈥淏utch鈥 Farabee. Yosemite Conservancy, Yosemite National Park, CA. ISBN 9781930238749
鈥 Nature Guidebooks. Winner. 鈥淭he Scout鈥檚 Guide to Wild Edibles.鈥 By Mike Krebill. St. Lynn鈥檚 Press, Pittsburg. ISBN 9781943366064
鈥 Nature Guidebooks. Winner. 鈥淏utterflies of Pennsylvania: A Field Guide.鈥 By James L. Monroe and David M. Wright. University of Pittsburg Press, Pittsburg. ISBN 9780822964551
鈥 Outdoor Adventure Guidebooks. Winner. 鈥淥utdoor Adventures, Acadia National Park: Your Guide to the Best Hiking, Biking and Paddling.鈥 By Jerry and Marcy Monkman. Appalachian Mountain Club, Boston. ISBN 9781628420579
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Home Towns of Authors
鈥 Outdoor Literature. 鈥淎 Fly Rod of Your Own.鈥 John Gierach (Fort Collins, CO)
鈥 Outdoor Literature. 鈥淥n Trails: An Exploration.鈥 Robert Moor (British Columbia, Canada)
鈥 Outdoor Literature. 鈥淣o Barriers: A Blind Man鈥檚 Journey.鈥 Erik Weihenmayer (Denver, CO) and Buddy Levy (Moscow, 蜜桃视频)
鈥 History/Biography. 鈥淎rt of Freedom.鈥 Bernadette McDonald (Banff, AB, Canada)
鈥 Natural History Literature. 鈥淭ides.鈥 Jonathan White (Orcas Island, WA)
鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. 鈥淧up the Sea Otter.鈥 Jonathan London. Sean London. (Graton, CA)
鈥 Children鈥檚 Category. 鈥淭reecology.鈥 Monica Russo (Kennebunk, ME). Photographs by Kevin Byron (Kennebunk, Maine).
鈥 Nature and Environment. 鈥淢onarchs and Milkweeds.鈥 Anurag Agrawal (Ithaca, NY)
鈥 Nature and the Environment. 鈥淭he Pipestone Wolves.鈥 Gunther Block (Canmore, AB, Canada). Photographer - John E. Marrioti (Smith鈥檚 Cove, NS, Canada)
鈥 Design and Artistic Merit. Winner. 鈥淲ild Encounters.鈥 David Yarrow (London, England)
鈥 Classic. "Kingbird Highway" Kenn Kaufman (Oak Harbor, OH)
鈥 Instructional Category. 鈥淏ackpacker Long Trails.鈥 By Liz Thomas (Boulder, CO)
鈥 Instructional Category. 鈥淏ig Walls, Swift Water.鈥 Charles R. Farabee (Tucson, AZ)
鈥 Nature Guidebooks. 鈥淭he Scout鈥檚 Guide to Wild Edibles.鈥 Mike Krebill (Keokuk, IA)
鈥 Nature Guidebooks. 鈥淏utterflies of Pennsylvania.鈥 James L. Monroe (Beaver, PA) and David M. Wright (Landsdale, PA)
鈥 Outdoor Adventure Guidebooks. 鈥淥utdoor Adventures, Acadia National Park.鈥 By Jerry and Marcy Monkman (Portsmouth, NH)
Judges (quoted in release) - Home Towns
Ann Walka 鈥 Flagstaff, AZ
Val Cunningham 鈥 St. Paul, MN
Jim Moss - Littleton, CO
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