A Holiday Book List

Books make ideal gifts for outdoor enthusiasts who already have almost everything and new titles keep emerging faster than we can read them.  When we can’t be out on the trails or paddle routes, we can enjoy the adventures, misadventures and equipment insights that go with that through books that take us there from the comfort of our living room armchair. Here is a list of titles that I have enjoyed presented in a compact format – title, author publication date, number of pages, and a concise, single-sentence description of the subject.  This will be enough to home in on topics of specific interest for additional exploration and more detailed description online.  All listed books are available on Amazon, and I have read each of them myself already.  Each entry is rated on a scale of one to five on a list of categories:

1=Not so much, 5=Great content

Local content – Extent of relevance to the Ozark region and its wildlife

Hike/Float – Involves hiking, floating or equipment used for those activities

Environment – Covers climate, environment and activism

Science – Amount of hard, factual content

Readability – Extent to which presentation/style captivates the reader

“Illustrations” – Extent and quality of photographs, maps and other diagrams.

EVERY LIVING THING – THE GREAT AND DEADLY RACE TO KNOW ALL LIFE, Jason Roberts, 2024, 409 p.  A history of the origin and development of our current system of scientific (Linnaean) classification explaining how a lot more than just science was involved.  Local content (1), Hike/Float (1), Environment (1), Science (5), Readability (4), Illustrations (3).

THE LANGUAGE OF BUTTERFLIES – HOW THIEVES, HOARDERS, SCIENTISTS AND OTHER OBSESSIVES UNLOCKED THE SECRETS OF THE WORLD’S FAVORITE INSECT, Wendy Williams, 2020.  A history of human fascination with colorful butterflies and the obsession in their collecting superimposed on their natural history and conservation, focused on the famous monarch migrations.   Local content (3), Hike/Float (1), Environment (5), Science (4), Readability (4), Illustrations (3).

ARCTIC TRAVERSE – A THOUSAND MILE SUMMER OF TREKKING THE BROOKS RANGE, Michael Engelhard, 2024.  Chronicle of a food-drop assisted solo trek (and last leg by float) across the entire width of the Brooks Range with a recap of wilderness activism and its heroes, and a strong argument for Alaskan preservation in the face of ongoing exploitation.  Local content (1), Hike/Float (5), Environment (5), Science (3), Readability (4), Illustrations (1)

RIVER WITHOUT A CAUSE – AN EXPEDITION INTO THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE AMAZON AND THEODORE ROOSEVELT’S RIVER OF DOUBT, Sam Moses, 2024.  A 1992 expedition with ethnographers, scientists, tribal chiefs, and professional river runners repeats TR’s famous Amazon wilderness adventure where the chronicle has been long suppressed over the dismal portrayal of environmental exploitation exposed by the story.  Local content (1), Hike/Float (5), Environment (5), Science (3), Readability (4), Illustrations (4).

BRAVE THE WILD RIVER – THE UNTOLD STORY OF TWO WOMEN WHO MAPPED THE BOTANY OF THE GRAND CANYON, Melissa L Sevigny, 2023.  Two intrepid woman botanists undertake an expedition into the undeveloped and poorly charted Grand Canyon in the 1930’s against prevailing predictions they are doomed, only to make naysayers eat their words.  Local content (1), Hike/Float (5), Environment (3), Science (3), Readability (5), Illustrations (3).

CROSSINGS – HOW ROAD ECOLOGY IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR PLANET, Ben Goldfarb, 2023, 370 p.  An ecological evaluation of the impact of our road system on wildlife ranging from moose and bears down to turtles and frogs, along with the various technical strategies used to alleviate the carnage. Local content (1), Hike/Float (1), Environment (3), Science (5), Readability (4), Illustrations (3).

THE SLOTH LEMUR’S SONG – MADAGASCAR FROM THE DEEP PAST TO UNCERTAIN FUTURE, Alison Richard, 2022.   Just about the best integration of geology, ecology and science for one of the world’s most unusual natural areas I have seen, ranging from continental drift, evolution, human settlement and the latest environmental consequences – a deep dive into serious science presented in a very readable way. Local content (1), Hike/Float (1), Environment (5), Science (5), Readability (5), Illustrations (3).

THE DOWNHILL HIKING CLUB – A SHORT WALK ACROSS THE LEBANON, Dom Joly, 2019.  Takes you along on a trek over the full length of the Lebanese version of the Appalachian Trail in a book deliberately designed to mimic Bill Bryson, but with some serious landscape description and historical anecdotes along the way. Local content (1), Hike/Float (5), Environment (3), Science (2), Readability (5), Illustrations (3).

THE OCEANS OF KANSAS – THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE WESTERN INTERIOR SEA, Michael J Everhart, 2017.  Natural history (including the exotic creatures that once lived there) reconstructed for the great seaway once extending through our neighboring state at a time when all trace of life was being eroded away from the surface of the Ozarks. Local content (5), Hike/Float (1), Environment (3), Science (5), Readability (4), Illustrations (3).

WALKING WITH GHOSTS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA – WALKING THE KOKODA TRAIL IN THE LAST WILD PLACE ON EARTH, Rick Antonson, 2019.  Outdoor adventure chronicle of a strenuous guided hike over rough country on an exotic jungle trail that traverses some of the most remote battle scenes of WWII. Local content (1), Hike/Float (5), Environment (3), Science (1), Readability (5), Illustrations (3).

TWELVE TREES – DEEP ROOTS OF OUR FUTURE, Daniel Lewis, 2024.   A unique portrayal of the complexities of the combined effects of landscape alteration and anthropogenic climate change as demonstrated through the science involved in the conservation of a colorful series of threatened tree species from bristlecone to baobab. Local content (1), Hike/Float (1), Environment (5), Science (5), Readability (3), Illustrations (3).

A WALK IN THE PARK – THE TRUE STORY OF A SPECTACULAR MISADVENTURE IN THE GRAND CANYON, Kevin Federarko, 2024.  A pair of trekking amateurs are mentored by some serious mountaineering experts as they complete a challenging (and sometimes terrifying) “stroll” the entire length of the Grand Canyon using a path composed of narrow cliff ledges on the Supai esplanade. Local content (1), Hike/Float (5), Environment (3), Science (3), Readability (5), Illustrations (4).