In 2019, the Andover Village Improvement Society (AVIS) is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a year-long offering of special events. AVIS is the second oldest land trust in the country and has been protecting open space in Andover for the enjoyment of all. Librarians at MHL and AVIS Board members have selected some of our favorite outdoor adventure stories as a way of encouraging the community to celebrate the outdoors through great books. If you have a suggestion, you'd like us to consider for this list, email saude@mhl.org.
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Tip of the iceberg : my 3,000-mile journey around wild Alaska, the last great American frontier
by Mark Adams, 2018 The best-selling author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu describes how he used Alaska's intricate public ferry system to recreate the historic 1899 Harriman Expedition and investigate how lessons learned a century ago might help today's climate change issues |
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Return to wild America : a yearlong search for the continent's natural soul
by Scott Weidensaul, 2005 One of the world's premier writer/naturalists surveys the state of North America's wilderness areas, revealing both positive and negative perspectives on wildlife management in the U.S. and Canada. |
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Bringing nature home : how native plants sustain wildlife in our gardens
by Douglas W. Tallamy, 2007 An introduction to sustainable, ecological gardening explains how to incorporate a variety of native plants into a backyard environment in order to create a healthy ecosystem that provides food and shelter for local wildlife of all kinds and includes helpful lists of garden-worthy native plants for every region of the United States. |
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Time of wonder
by Robert McCloske, 1957 This 1958 Caldecott Winner tells the story of a family's summer vacation on an island near Penobscott Bay in Maine. Two girls and their parents celebrate the forces of nature at the sea, on the shore and in the forest. |
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The hidden lives of owls : the science and spirit of nature's most elusive birds
by Leigh Calvez, 2016 A naturalist probes the forest, mainly at night, to comprehend the secret lives of owls. Calvez makes the science entertaining and accessible while exploring the questions about the human-animal connection, owl obsession, habitat, owl calls, social behavior, and mythology. |
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Wild America : the record of a 30,000-mile journey around the continent by a distinguished naturalist and his British colleague
by Roger Tory Peterson & James Fisher, 1955 Recounts a strenuous and thrilling hundred-day field trip around the edge of the continent. Part travelogue, part epic natural adventure, their richly illustrated record is "the superlatively good product of ideal circumstances" (Chicago Sunday Tribune). |
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Walking the Americas : 1,800 Miles, Eight Countries, and One Incredible Journey from Mexico to Colombia
by Levison Wood, 2018 Levison Wood's famous walking expeditions have taken him from the length of the Nile River to the peaks of the Himalayas, and in Walking the Americas, Wood chronicles his latest exhilarating adventure: an 1,800-mile trek across the spine of the Americas, through eight countries, from Mexico to Colombia. |
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Urban forests : a natural history of trees in the American cityscape
by Jill Jonnes, 2016 From Thomas Jefferson¡s day to the present, a fascinating natural history of the tree in American cities discusses the peopleùpresidents, plant explorers, visionaries, citizen activists, scientists, nurserymen and tree nerdsùwhose arboreal passions have shaped and ornamented the nation¡s cities. By the author of Eiffel's Tower. |
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Field guide to the New England alpine summits : mountaintop flora and fauna in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont
by Nancy G. Slack, 2013 "A field guide helping readers identify, understand, and protect the plants and animals of the alpine zones of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, including introductions to the history, geology, weather, climate, scientific research, and conservation of New England's alpine summits" |
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North on the wing : travels with the songbird migration of spring
by Bruce McP Beehler, 2018 Follows the migration of North American songbirds across the United States and into Canada. The author tracks warblers up the Mississippi River valley, bounding from national wildlife refuges to small private reserves and state parks along the way, binoculars in hand. |
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The oldest living things in the world
by Rachel Sussman, 2014 Sussman researched, worked with biologists, and traveled the world to photograph continuously living organisms that are 2,000 years old and older. From Antarctica to Greenland, the Mojave Desert to the Australian Outback, the result is a unique visual collection of ancient organisms unlike anything that has been created in the arts or sciences before. |
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Rail-trails Southern New England : The Definitive Guide to Multiuse Trails in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2018 Describes multiuse public paths along former railroad corridors. Includes trails in many Merrimack Valley towns and cities. |
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The genius of birds
by Jennifer Ackerman, 2016 An award-winning, science, nature and human biology writer explores recent research indicating that birds are much more intelligent than previously thought and are capable of deceiving and manipulating, eavesdropping, gift-giving, playing, sharing and much more. |
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Engineering Eden : the true story of a violent death, a trial, and the fight over controlling nature
by Jordan Fisher Smith, 2016 Reveals the fascinating story of the century-long attempt to control nature in the American wilderness, told through the prism of a tragic death at Yellowstone National Park. By the author of Nature Noir. |
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The songs of trees : stories from nature's great connectors
by David George Haskell, 2017 A professor of biology and environmental studies, and Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Forest Unseen, visits twelve trees around the world and discusses the biological relationships that sustain life, including bacterial communities, cooperative animals and fungal partners. |
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The best in tent camping : your car-camping guide to scenic beauty, the sounds of nature, and an escape from civilization / New England :
by Lafe Low, 2018 Guidebook for quiet, scenic, and serene campsites. The perfect resource if you blanch at the thought of pitching a tent on concrete slab, trying to sleep through the blare of a boombox, or waking to find your tent surrounded by a convoy of RVs |
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Outdoors with kids Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont : 75 of the best family hiking, camping, and paddling trips
by Ethan Hipple, 2014 "This regional guide features 75 destinations in Northern New England where families can get outside, be active, and enjoy nature; includes tips for successful outings, informational maps, photos, and essays ranging from ecology to games on the go" |
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Critical hours : search and rescue in the White Mountains
by Sandy Stott, 2018 Stott, the "Accidents" editor at the journal of the Appalachian Mountain Club, delivers both a history and a celebration of the search and rescue workers who save countless lives in the White Mountains--along with a plea for us not to take their steadfastness and bravery for granted. |
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End of the rope : mountains, marriage, and motherhood
by Jan Redford An extreme alpinist with a tragic past, Jan Redford, a nomadic rock climber, tackles a new role, one of wife and mother, and struggles to make her own way in the mountains and in life. |
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The hidden life of trees : what they feel, how they communicate : discoveries from a secret world
by Peter Wohlleben, 2016 Draws on up-to-date research and engaging forester stories to reveal how trees nurture each other and communicate, outlining the life cycles of "tree families" that support mutual growth, share nutrients and contribute to a resilient ecosystem. Illustrations. |
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Walking to listen : 4,000 miles across America, one story at a time
by Andrew Forsthoefel, 2017 A young man describes how he embarked on a cross-country quest for life guidance, walking to the Pacific from Pennsylvania, and recounts the extraordinary kindness he received from strangers and the invaluable lessons he learned from everyone he met. |
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Out there : the wildest stories from Outside magazine
by Editors of Outside Magazine, 2017 Out There chronicles fringe athletes, fitness freaks, and others obsessed by ill-advised dreams. It takes us to far-flung places no sane person would want to go. |
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Wanderlust : a history of walking
by Rebecca Solnit, 2000 A cultural history of walking explores the ancient practice, from ancient Greece to the present, delving into Wordsworth, Gary Snyder, Rousseau, Jane Austen, and other cultural and literary icons to show how this basic activity has been imagined throughout history. 17,500 first printing. |