Do you enjoy outdoor/adventure type reading? Are you looking for a great new book? Well, here's your chance to get some information about some great books and to find out what we thought when we read them.

• Rating:
• Title: Escape From Lucania     An Epic Story Of Survival

• Copyright: 2002
• Author: David Roberts
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Topic: The 1937 expedition to Alaska's 17,150 foot Mount Lucania by Brad Washburn and Bob Bates. A revealing look at mountaineering and adventuring in a bygone era. A gripping story of courage and skill as the climbers make their arduous escape from the wilds of an Alaska that no longer even exists!
• Highlights: I was totally captivated by this book and was honestly unable to put it down! For New England readers there is the enjoyment of reading about one of Brad Washburn's early trips to Alaska at a time long before he became a world renown photographer and cartographer. The book even includes stories of hiking and climbing on New Hampshire's Mount Washington.
• Lowlights: None worth mentioning!

• Rating:
• Title: Not Without Peril     150 Years Of Misadventure On The Presidential Range Of New Hampshire

• Copyright: 2000
• Author: Nicholas Howe
• Publisher: Appalachian Mountain Club Books
• Topic: The book is a collection of 17 stories, dating from 1849 to the present, about what can and often does go awry for people that thought they were simply out for a nice easy hike in New Hampshire's Presidential Range.
• Highlights: I believe that this book should be required reading for anyone considering hiking in the area! Howe clearly isn't out to simply berate people for their ignorance or lack of preparedness but does an exemplary job of giving the facts involved in many of the areas most powerful stories. If read carefully there is an abundance of potentially life saving wisdom to be gleaned from these pages!
• Lowlights: If you do much reading about the area, know the folklore or stay informed on the latest Search and Rescue news, then you may be familiar with several of these stories. It's not a reason that I would use for not reading them again though!

• Rating:
• Title: The 4000~Footers of the White Mountains     A Guide and History

• Copyright: 2001
• Author: Steven D. Smith & Mike Dickerman
• Publisher: Bondcliff Books
• Topic: A complete guide and history covering all the mountains in New Hampshire that are on the AMC's 4000 Footer List. Including detailed trail descriptions, historical highlights, geographical descriptions, hints for climbing each in winter and a view guide.
• Highlights: This is a must read if you truly love the area's mountains, even if you have zero interest in peak bagging or the completing of lists. It just has such an abundance of information that I turn to it quite frequently.
• Lowlights: I'm not overly impressed with the way the "View Guide" is done. It is simply a verbal description of what mountains you're looking at from a given summit. It's helpful but I'd much prefer a drawing or picture.

• Rating:
• Title: Scudder's White Mountain Viewing Guide

• Copyright: 2000
• Author: Brent E. Scudder
• Publisher: Bondcliff Books
• Topic: This is basically a book full of line drawings (as seen on the cover photo) that will enable you to identify what you're seeing from the summits of 43 of New Hampshire's best mountains. They are divided into five areas, Southern NH, The Lakes Region, The Southern White Mountains, The Appalachian Trail and The North Country. It also includes ample information on each, including routes to the peaks, history of the peak and area and much more.
• Highlights: This can be a wonderful way to become a pro at knowing what you're seeing. Instead of standing on a peak hoping that someone can tell you if that mountain over there is Mount Washington you can name them all off! I've been hiking in the area for a lot of years and this book helped me immeasurably. Before the hike I simply make a copy of the line drawings for that mountain and toss 'em in the pack.
• Lowlights: My only complaint is about the size of the type on the drawings. It's rather small and therefore it's not always easy to get a clear enough photo copy to enable reading it all.

• Rating:
• Title: Our Last Backpack     A Memoir

• Copyright: 1993
• Author: Daniel Doan
• Publisher: Backcountry Publications
• Topic: A memoir of two aging old friends doing a last backpack through the rugged Mahoosucs of New Hampshire.
• Highlights: This is a favorite read of mine for several reasons. The author and his friend both lived in the area of New Hampshire that I grew up in and the book is about a hike they did in 1966 which is the era I began hiking and backpacking in. It'll make a great read for anyone that's younger and doesn’t know what it was like to hike in that area back then. At the time these two did this hike they were both already a bit of an anachronism but they do encounter some of the "new style" hikers that were emerging in the '60s. It all makes for a great read in my opinion!
• Lowlights: If you're not interested in that area or that era then this may not excite you as it isn't a book with lots of hair raising, daring adventure.

• Rating:
• Title: Forest and Crag

• Copyright: 1989
• Author: Laura and Guy Waterman
• Publisher: Appalachian Mountain Club Books
• Topic: This is a history of hiking, trail blazing and adventure in the Northeast Mountains.
• Highlights: This is widely considered the bible on the subject! If there's anything you want to know about the topic this book covers it. Extensive discussion on topics that range from an abundance of information on the earliest hikers and climbers to environmental ethics and backcountry management. The book includes photos, tables, charts, a glossary, an index, 175 pages of reference notes and much more! I've read it through a couple of times but turn to it constantly as a reference!
• Lowlights: It is big! At 888 pages you best be prepared for some lengthy reading times!

• Rating:
• Title: Camping In The Old Style

• Copyright: 2000
• Author: David Wescott
• Publisher: Gibbs-Smith
• Topic: Camping in the late 19th and early 20th century.
• Highlights: A great book loaded with old photos and lots of information about what camping was once like. It starts back in the ol' "woodcraft" days of Kephart and Seton and ranges up till about the 1940s. It covers winter camping, canoe camping, horse camping, woodcraft and much, much more. It explains how to build a fire, how to cook and even recipes for what to cook, all done in the "old style." If you're any kind of camper and/or just an American history buff, this book is loads of fun!
• Lowlights: None to speak of, I love this book!

• Rating:
• Title: Place Names of the White Mountains

• Copyright: 1993
• Author: Robert and Mary Julyan
• Publisher: University Press of New England
• Topic: The title says it all.
• Highlights: This is the revised edition of a great book. If you're looking for more information on what all those names mean and where they came from then this is a wonderful resource! Some have only brief descriptions but others cover quite a bit of history and other details.
• Lowlights: The only thing I would like to see is a pronunciation guide for the names.

• Rating:
• Title: The White Mountains: Names, Places & Legends

• Copyright: 1995
• Author: John T.B. Mudge
• Publisher:The Durand Press
• Topic: Again, the title says it all.
• Highlights: Numerous photos, both color and black & white depicting some of the best White Mountain sites and stories. Many details such as the elevation of any mountain mentioned. Compact size.
• Lowlights: As above, I would love to see a pronunciation guide and this book is perhaps a bit on the brief side with many of its definitions.

• Rating:
• Title: At Timberline     A Nature Guide to the Mountains of the Northeast

• Copyright: 1982
• Author: Frederic L. Steele
• Publisher: Appalachian Mountain Club
• Topic: The title says it all.
• Highlights: This is a fantastic little book that covers practically everything you could ever want to know about the natural history of the mountains of the area. Geology, wildflowers, trees & shrubs, grasses, ferns, birds, mammals and cold blooded vertebrates are all covered. The book has a water resistant cover and is only slightly larger than most other typical field guides. It is loaded with both color plates and black and white line drawings of most everything covered.
• Lowlights: None that I can see!

• Rating:
• Title: A Fine Kind of Madness

• Copyright: 2000
• Author: Laura & Guy Waterman
• Publisher: The Mountaineers Books
• Topic: Mountain adventures tall and true.
• Highlights: This is a collection of the several of the Waterman’s essays and short stories. It, "Explores the enduring mystery of why people climb, it's meaning in their lives, and what we see and what we cannot see in the mountains and in the people who are drawn irretrievably to them." The book contains both fiction and non fiction stories. I found several of the stories wonderfully entertaining but I confess, I'm not a huge fan of Guy's writing.
• Lowlights: Basically a good book but again, I'm not a great fan of the author in addition to not being much of a fiction fan.

• Rating:
• Title: Tying Down The Wind

• Copyright: 2000
• Author: Eric Pinder
• Publisher: Tarcher/Putnam
• Topic: Adventures in the worst weather on earth.
• Highlights: This book's written by someone that was a weather observer on Mount Washington as well as someone that has spent many winters in New England. It is much more than just a meteorological study though. Some of the writing is national but most of it is local to New England and especially Mount Washington. The book has some excellent story telling and makes for a very interesting read. It also includes some great black and white photos of interesting weather phenomena.
• Lowlights: No complaints from me!

• Rating:
• Title: North Of The Sun

• Copyright: 1990
• Author: Fred Hatfield
• Publisher: Citadel Press
• Topic: A memoir of the Alaskan wilderness.
• Highlights: This is one of the most enjoyable reads I've seen. It's just a great story of a Maine native heading off to Alaska in 1933. The stories of adventure in the wild Tikchik Lakes area are fascinating. Just a fun read!
• Lowlights: None that I can see!

• Rating:
• Title: Into The Wild

• Copyright: 1996
• Author: Jon Krakauer
• Publisher: Anchor Books
• Topic: The story of a young man's travels and his untimely death in the wilds of Alaska.
• Highlights: I know that this was a national bestseller but I have to say, I did not enjoy this book much at all. I have enjoyed Krakauer's other books but this one just had too many problems for me. Some might call it good reporting but I felt like much of the story may or not have been fact. It required too much filling in the blanks by Krakauer for my taste. You clearly see what his feelings were on this young man and they were not my feelings! I found it a troubling account of a troubled individuals troubled life!
• Lowlights: Too many to mention!

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