| |
This page contains miscellaneous books and maps that don't belong to a particular region or country. They encompass general travel guides, coffee table books, wilderness survival, etc. If you want to check out books specific to a region or country, check out our Books and Maps page.
Below are books and maps that we've used. We've also included other books in the literature that may help you find what you need. The list is by no means complete, but hopefully it is enough to get you going on your quest to inform yourself on your travels. Books
Solar Revolution (MIT Press): What sets this book apart from other literature about solar energy (or renewables in general) is that the author Travis Bradford has utilized his discipline in keeping emotions in check (no doubt from his fund managing and corporate buyout days) to establish that solar energy dominance is inevitable. Indeed, he manages to do this strictly on the principle of economics and self-interest, which if you think about it, are the primary drivers for market acceptance and policies.The book is very insightful, especially about the history of civilization and how energy figures into the picture. He then delves deep into the economics behind why de-centralized solar will ultimately win out over all competing forms of energy. Moreover, Bradford was very meticulous in providing references for the inquisitive reader to follow up on where there may be some doubt about where certain claims came from or who said what. Indeed if solar energy dominates, that's definitely good news for our environment let alone the waterfalls within!
The Photography Bible (D&C): I only wished I had read through this book completely before our Australia/Africa trip in mid 2008. That's because I really could've used some of the advice given to get the correct exposures in my shots as well as combating parallax distortion (especially at the bright Whitsundays or the tall obelisks in Egypt). Indeed, the book provides good explanations of almost every topic pertaining to photography while providing good photographic examples so you have a better idea of what the author is talking about. I know personally I have a long way to go in terms of refining my photography, but I'm sure reading and understanding this book was a big leap forward in the right direction.
Mountain Light (Sierra Club): This large format book can serve as both a coffee table book as well as a how-to guide on landscape photography. It's filled with gorgeous trademark photographs as well as stories of how the late Galen Rowell (the author) took the particular photograph in question. I certainly learned a lot from reading this book, and I admit to aspiring to achieve the kind of success and quality that Rowell was able to do as a world traveler and photographer.
The Backpacker's Handbook (McGraw Hill): This critically acclaimed book is considered by many to be the bible of backpacking and wilderness hiking. It covers everything from what equipment to use, what type of gear to wear, making a shelter, cooking food, reading maps along with your compass, etc. I think Chris Townsend left no stone unturned in what he covers. I've been able to employ some of his recommended techniques out in the field, but multi-day backpacks haven't been something we've been too involved in so I never really got to practice some of the other things advocated in the book. In any case, it's quite a useful reference if you need advice on the tip of your fingers without spending too much time browsing the web while gauging the credibility of what you're reading.
International Waterfall Classification System (Outskirts Press): This book provides a scientific way of gauging the size and magnitude of a particular waterfall based on kind of a logarithmic scale (not unlike the Richter scale for earthquakes). The main criteria is the volume of a particular waterfall, which takes into account size, slope, average waterflow, etc. It comes with plenty of examples (though not all the numbers corresponding to some of the examples are correct as they're largely extracted from internet sources), but the point is the method of evaluating waterfalls. His system does tend to favor shorter waterfalls with high volume (especially those that can easily be confused with rapids) so there's still room for interpretation as to what counts as a waterfall. Nonetheless, it's purely a waterfall nerds book, but I personally like the system that Richard Beisel, Jr. came up with.
Lipsmackin' Backpackin' (ThreeForks): This book about the types of meals you could be having in the backcountry provides numerous ideas and example recipes to try out while you're out in the wilderness. Honestly, we haven't been backpacking often enough to practice what's said in here so we can't really say much about how good the recipes are. Plus, we've been spoiled with having friends who are very creative and good cooks when out camping or backpacking.
[Back to top]
Maps
Huron Globe (George F Cram Company): This physical globe is fun for looking up where exactly a country is located as well as get a sense of where you've been or where you're traveling to. In fact, we've found it quite useful in identifying the whereabouts of some of the more cryptic countries like Guyana (no, it's not in Africa). It's also a pretty cool souvenir or display item in the living room.
Tell us about your experiences. Click on the following link...
[Back to top]
[Return from Miscellaneous Books and Maps to The Library Page]
|
