Favorite Books
#1
Posted 10 January 2011 - 05:57 PM
I'd like to start the list with a few of my favorites.
For exploring the Death Valley area:
Hiking Death Valley by Michel Digconnet
Hiking Western Death Valley National Park by Michel Digconnet
Death Valley and the Amargosa: A Land of Illusion by Richard E.Lingenfelter. This a great overall history of the area and one of my favorites. I'm on my third read.
These Canyons Are Full Of Ghosts by Emmett C. Harder. This is a fun read of stories from the Striped Butte area. Thanks to Gene and Stew for suggesting this one!
Death Valley In '49, The Autobiography of a Pioneer by William L. Manly. Thanks to Stew for the recommendation on this one. I have really enjoyed this one!
For just great reads on geology and weaving in local stories, nothing beats, in my view, John McPhee. For the areas we like to explore, the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains here are two favorites:
Basin and Range by John McPhee
Rising From the Plains by John McPhee
If you are interested in the California Overland Trail and the historic markers you can find along it, Trails West is the organization of volunteers who have researched and placed them. Guides for their location and history are available here:
http://emigranttrailswest.org/trail-guides-for-purchase/
Edit on 24 Jan. 2013:
To make this topic more useable to all of us I created a spreadsheet and entered everyone's suggestions. Janet H., on the tech admin team here converted it into a Google document.
WTW Favorite Book List
The classifications and the placement of the suggested books into the classes I choose was my decision. Please just ask for an edit if I've screwed up. I also added a column with the specific post the book is mentioned in so you can read the comments on "why" its on the list. I believe this is sortable at the top of the columns.
I hope this makes this information more accessible. Somebody have a better idea? I like better ideas because I usually come up with the hardest way to do a task.
Most of the titles are linked to Amazon only because its an easy way to get additional information. This is not an endorsement or promotion.
2003 Ford Ranger FX4 Level II 2013 ATC Bobcat SE "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."- Abraham Lincoln http://ski3pin.blogspot.com/
#2
Posted 10 January 2011 - 06:58 PM
I heartily endorse your McPhee Basin & Range choice (an absolute classic), and I also suggest his Assembling California.
Off the top of my head, I'll add (reserving the right to add more later ) these non-fiction/reference choices:
Geology of the Great Basin, by Bill Fiero
The Sagebrush Ocean, A Natural History of the Great Basin, by Stephen Trimble -- another absolute classic among GB fans
Sierra East: Edge of the Great Basin, edited by Genny Smith -- a comprehensive natural history of Sierra east-side
Hiking the Great Basin, by John Hart -- this book guided me to some of my early-favorite hikes in the GB: Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah
Notice a theme in my choices...?
FWC Hawk (2005) on a Ford F250 Supercab, 6.8L V10 gas (2000)
#3
Posted 10 January 2011 - 07:18 PM
I'll add
Touring California and Nevada Hot Springs
Day Trips With a Splash (other regional guides exist in this series as well)
Backcountry Skiing California's Eastern Sierra
#4
Posted 10 January 2011 - 08:15 PM
Great idea, ski3pin! Surprised this hasn't been started earlier (or has it?)...
I heartily endorse your McPhee Basin & Range choice (an absolute classic), and I also suggest his Assembling California.
Off the top of my head, I'll add (reserving the right to add more later ) these non-fiction/reference choices:
Geology of the Great Basin, by Bill Fiero
The Sagebrush Ocean, A Natural History of the Great Basin, by Stephen Trimble -- another absolute classic among GB fans
Sierra East: Edge of the Great Basin, edited by Genny Smith -- a comprehensive natural history of Sierra east-side
Hiking the Great Basin, by John Hart -- this book guided me to some of my early-favorite hikes in the GB: Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah
Notice a theme in my choices...?
I'll 2x all of the above except Sierra East, which I have not read. McPhee's book on Alaska in the 1970s, Coming into the Country, is also a good read.
Stew
2007 Custom All Terrain Camper Panther Shell on 2012 Toyota Tundra 4x4 in SE CO
#5
Posted 10 January 2011 - 08:35 PM
Death Valley In '49, The Autobiography of a Pioneer by William L. Manly. Thanks to Stew for the recommendation on this one. I have really enjoyed this one!
I'm glad you liked Manly's book, 3pin.
Anybody interested in following Manly's trip through the Panamint Mountains, Butte Valley, and Panamint Valley should also find a copy of Leroy Johnson's Death Valley in '49.
I've spent many miles in trucks and on foot looking for the likely route Manly used in 1849-50 to leave and return to Death Valley. You could too!
Stew
2007 Custom All Terrain Camper Panther Shell on 2012 Toyota Tundra 4x4 in SE CO
#6
Posted 10 January 2011 - 10:21 PM
http://www.amazon.co...85&sr=1-1-fkmr2
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#7
Posted 10 January 2011 - 11:20 PM
Ed Abbey's Desert Solitaire and The Monkey Wrench Gang. Solitaire is one of the great all-time outdoorsy books. Both pertain to SE UT.
Any of the Massey 4WD Adventure Guides like this one
If you want stories about NM, I'd suggest To Possess The Land by Frank Waters and The Great Taos Bank Robbery by Tony Hillerman.
Benchmark and National Geographic maps.
Now, just roaming around in a stock Land Cruiser (not stock for long though... bawahahha [evil laugh])
#8
Posted 11 January 2011 - 01:52 AM
"The Dean of Western Writers"...though not necessarily a writer of "westerns".
OK, specifically, there's this non-fiction that I enjoyed:
Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West
...It includes an account of Powell's exploration of the Grand Canyon as well as much more about Powell-and-the-West.
And then there's this Pulitzer Prize winning novel set in the 1800's and modern West:
Angle of Repose
...It seemed slow to me at first -- I guess it is -- but I'm so glad I kept at it; brilliant and very satisfying!
Much more, too.
FWC Hawk (2005) on a Ford F250 Supercab, 6.8L V10 gas (2000)
#9
Posted 11 January 2011 - 02:26 AM
Oregon Geographic Names, by Lewis McArthur
...I'm most-familiar with this Oregon classic (I know lots of people here who have it), since I live in Oregon -- a great browsing read!
Nevada Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary
...I own this one, but not for very long and haven't browsed it as much as I'd like...I leave it in the truck most of the time.
California Place Names
...I bought a copy of this for my father (living in California), and only recently bought one for myself...more interesting browsing.
FWC Hawk (2005) on a Ford F250 Supercab, 6.8L V10 gas (2000)
#10
Posted 11 January 2011 - 03:46 AM
2003 Ford Ranger FX4 Level II 2013 ATC Bobcat SE "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."- Abraham Lincoln http://ski3pin.blogspot.com/
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