In honor of National Book Lovers Day, we had editor Bob Frye compile a list of his favorite books about the outdoors. These would be perfect selections for when the weather isn’t cooperating.
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1. “They Shoot Canoes, Do They?” — Patrick McManus wrote a number of books, all of them laugh-out-loud hilarious, about his hunting, fishing, canoeing and other outdoor experiences. All are worth reading, with this a good example.
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2. “Meditations on Hunting” — Jose Ortega Gosset penned this book, which looks at why people hunt. It’s thought-provoking reading for anyone who plans to pull a trigger or release a bow string.
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3. “Death, Taxes and Leaky Waders” — John Gierach has written a number of books, all full of essays on life and fishing. This pulls together some of the best of them.
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4. “A Walk in the Woods” — Bill Bryson decided, as a somewhat rookie hiker, to try walking the length of the Appalachian Trail, in sections, with a, let’s say, interesting friend. This book is a funny look at how it went.
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5. “The Singing Wilderness” — Sigurd Olson writes beautifully of paddling and camping Lake Superior country. He penned several other books, but this is his best.
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6. “A Sand County Almanac” — Written by Aldo Leopold, one of the most respected wildlife managers and conservationists in American history, this collection of essays that espouses a “land ethic” is an absolute favorite.
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7. “The Purification Ceremony” — There isn’t a whole lot of fiction that puts hunting at their center. This novel, by Mark T. Sullivan, is one of the best.
More reading suggestions from Bob Frye
Outdoors books for the sportman, naturalist
New books for the sportsman’s library
More from Everybody Adventures
See also, Hiking Through History Reveals Pennsylvania Wonders.
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