Nature and Photography Books 

The Granite Avatars of Patagonia

Text and Photographs by Tom Reed

This exceptional book documents three seasons of adventure in the Patagonian Andes. A unique book that successfully and powerfully evokes some of the world's most spectacular and awe-inspiring sights.

Backyard Beekeepers of the Bay Area

Judith Adamson

A love letter to honeybees and beekeeping, this detailed and fascinating, extremely accessible book begins with solitary bees sharing earth with T. rex, then traces their evolution to modern times.

American Dippers
Singers in the Mountain Streams

Mary F. Willson & Katherine M. Hocker

This fascinating and concise book invites readers into the world of these fascinating aquatic songbirds. How do dippers keep warm in the frigid water? What do they eat? What do their nests look like? This natural history of one of North America's most charming songbirds answers these questions, and many more.

Conifer Country
A Natural History and Hiking Guide to 35 Conifers of the Klamath Mountain Region

Michael Kauffmann

This superb book is an innovative natural history and hiking guide that uses conifers as a lens to explore the astounding plant diversity in the Klamath Mountains. Author/publisher Michael Kauffmann introduces readers to the magic of this little known botanical wonderland.

Humboldt Rocks
How They Got Here, What They Are, How to Find Them

Meryl King, Illustrated by Lance Anderson

This book presents the amazing geology of Humboldt County in clear and informative language. It begins deep in the Gorda Trench, where sulfurous steam vents support giant tube worms, then moves on to describe an earthquake before describing the rocks that underlie all this action.

Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West
Cultural and Scientific Basis for their Use

Cecilia Garcia & James D. Adams, Jr.

This informative guide covers the traditional healing uses and modern pharmacological data on 115 native plants found in California and the West. While western plants have been used in healing for thousands of years, this book carefully explains the uses of each plant for healing and the spiritual dimension of that healing process.

Moved by a Mountain
Inspiration from an Alpine View in Alaska

Photographs and text by Tom Reed
Foreword by Thomas Campbell

This gorgeous and moving book features black and white photos of surrounding mountains and glaciers taken from the author’s cabin. Reed’s text describes finding the land and explores the question, “How and why are humans inspired by mountain views?”

Women Gone Wild

Jane Futcher

What happens when two city slickers leave their urban footprints behind and move to the country? Anyone who has ever dreamed of chucking it all and moving to the country will find Women Gone Wild to be a funny, provocative and engaging story. And it’s all true!

Chasing the Rain
My Treasure Hunt for the World's Most Beautiful Mushrooms

Taylor F. Lockwood

Taylor Lockwood travels the world in search of the world's most beautiful mushrooms. Through pictures, it relates the diversity of life-forms found in this very large, but still relatively little-known kingdom.

A Day in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Photographs by Dennis Flaherty, Essays by Mark A. Schlenz

Reflects the inspiring beauty of these trees of light in stunning photographic images that give rare glimpses into the seasons of their lives as they are sculpted by wind, ice, and time.

California Trip

by Richard P. Blair & Kathleen P. Goodwin

This is a book about real California — from the era of peace and love and protest marches to the freedom of the open road and the highs of California's wild places. It offers an uncensored look at California that captures its freewheeling spirit and beauty.

Sierra Sojourns

Images & Words by Vern Clevenger

Second Edition, more gorgeous than ever!
Vern Clevenger has been exploring the High Sierra for 35 years, first as a climber with many first ascents, more recently as an accomplished photographer who now uses large format cameras almost exclusively.

Walk the Sky
Following the John Muir Trail

Photography by John Dittli, Essays by Mark Schlenz

This gorgeous book is the first color photography book in more than forty years about the renowned John Muir Trail of California's Sierra Nevada. This stunning collection of photographs will inspire all. The essays describe the history of the trail, the surrounding terrain, and more.

Aquatic Insects in Alaska

John Hudson, Kathy Hocker & Robert Armstrong

This comprehensive, lavishly illustrated guide covers all of Alaska's aquatic insects and reveals many fascinating facts about them.

Wild Birds of California

David Lukas

California is a great place for wild birds and the people who enjoy watching them! Over 600 bird species inhabit, migrate, or visit here. This lavishly photographed volume features usual and unusual birds in their wildland homes throughout California.

Pomegranate Roads
A Soviet Botanist's Exile from Eden

Gregory M. Levin, translated by Margaret Hopstein

A Man who fell in love with pomegranates and risked his life to protect their biodiversity tells his adventurous story in Pomegranate Roads. Ignoring threats, the scientist trekked across Central Asia and the Trans-Caucasus to collect 1,117 varieties of the fruit.

Wildflowers of the Plateau and Canyon Country
Postcard Book

Photography Larry Ulrich

A companion souvenir to Wildflowers of the Plateau and Canyon Country. Twenty spectacular images from the book, plus a short introductory essay.

Geologic Trips
San Francisco and the Bay Area

Ted Konigsmark

Written for the non-geologist, this user-friendly book leads readers on fascinating field trips to Bay Area landmarks.

Geologic Trips
Sierra Nevada

Ted Konigsmark

If you have ever wondered how the rocks and scenery of the Sierra Nevada were formed, take this geologic guide with you on your next trip. Written for the non-geologist, this detailed guide describes 116 of the geologic attractions of the Sierra

Reefs and Rain Forests
The Natural Heritage of Malaysian Borneo

Text and Photographs by Murray S. Kaufman

This gorgeous book presents a graceful and poignant essay about, and spectacular color photographs of, the two most important and endangered ecosystems on Earth.

Introduction to Shore Wildflowers of California, Oregon, and Washington
Revised Edition

Philip A. Munz, Edited by Dianne Lake and Phyllis M. Faber

Describes 268 species with each illustrated by a new color photograph, a precise line drawing, or both. Includes native and introduced species of wildflowers, common trees, and shrubs.

Common Dragonflies of California, Second Edition
A Beginner's Pocket Guide

Kathy Biggs, Color Photos by Rav Bruun

This first and only dragonfly field guide for California has been updated and expanded in a second edition. It provides clear, concise identification information and stunningly clear color photos of 100 species of dragonflies and damselflies.

Kangchenjunga
Guardian of the Eastern Himalaya

Photography by Tim Hauf; Text by Conger Beasley Jr.

Photographer Hauf and writer Beasley blend their superb talents to capture the legendary mountain and the remote terrain of the eastern Himalaya.

Southeast Alaska's Natural World
Amphibians, Birds, Fish, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Other Natural Things

Robert H. Armstrong & Marge Hermans

Discover the fascinating secrets of the unique natural world found in Southeast Alaska. This beautiful book by two residents and naturalists explores both spectacular and subtle and hidden creatures that inhabit this natural world.

Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada

Written and Illustrated by John Muir Laws

The astonishing natural diversity of the Sierra Nevada comes alive in this great field guide, at once comprehensive and yet small enough to fit in your pocket or pack.

Sierra Birds: A Hiker's Guide

Written & Illustrated by John Muir Laws

This book is a brilliantly illustrated, thoroughly annotated, and uniquely arranged guide that anyone — with or without formal training — can use to identify birds in the Sierra Nevada, from Lassen National Forest in the north through Sequoia National Park in the south.

Birds of Napa County

Written & Illustrated by Hermann Heinzel

With over 300 species of birds depicted realistically in their natural environment — poking at the ground or pecking at pinecones — organized by species as well as by season and region, this guide has everything for the experienced or novice birder

The Habitat Garden Book
Wildlife Landscaping for the San Francisco Bay Region

Nancy Bauer

This delightful little guidebook will help you transform your own backyard, patio or community site into a healthy home for a wondrous array of fascinating and beneficial creatures.

Life around Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska

Robert Armstrong and Marge Hermans

This wildlife guide covers animals and plants found around Mendenhall Glacier. Excellent color photos and text discuss flora, fauna, and more.

Beavers by the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska

Mary Willson and Robert Armstrong

This colorful book provides an excellent general survey of beavers. Illustrated with excellent color photos of beavers in their natural habitats.

Nature Journal with John Muir

Edited by Bonnie J. Gisel

This writing and sketching journal offers the words and thoughts of John Muir as inspiration for naturalists, artists, poets, and anyone who puts pen or pencil to paper.

Living with the Changing California Coast

Gary Griggs, Kiki Patsch & Lauret Savoy

This authoritative and easy-to-use book, a geological profile of the California coast, describes the landforms and processes that shape the coastline and beaches, documents how erosion has affected development, and discusses the options available for dealing with coastal hazards and geologic instability.

Wildflowers of the Plateau and Canyon Country

Photography Larry Ulrich
Interpretive text by Susan Lamb

This photographic essay presents Ulrich's stunning color images of wildflowers in the American Southwest, from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the high mesas of western Colorado.

Mono Lake:
Mirror of Imagination

Dennis Flaherty
Introductory Essay by Mark A. Schlenz

This fine photographic essay portrays in colorful grandeur eastern California 's unique inland sea, now protected as a National Scenic Area, and the gorgeous Sierra landscape that overlooks it.

Death Valley National Park
A Photographic Journey

Fred and Randi Hirschmann

In this eye-catching book, 106 color photographs celebrate much loved desert scenes as well as newly protected areas in this historic California park, now the largest national park in the United States outside of Alaska.

Dragonflies of California and Common Dragonflies of the Southwest
A Beginner’s Pocket Guide

Kathy Biggs

Common Dragonflies of California and Common Dragonflies of the Southwest are now available in separate, updated editions.

The Mindful Hiker
On The Trail To Find The Path

Stephen Altschuler

Altschuler believes that solitude in nature is the way to confront the tests of life by observing how even the smallest forms of life survive. The author leads readers on a walk along the trails of Point Reyes National Seashore, guiding the reader toward

Warrior Mothers
Stories To Awaken The Flames Of The Heart

Thaïs Mazur

Twenty-four women from all walks of life offer their personal stories to inspire and awaken readers from apathy and despair to a call for action.

Photographing Nature in Alaska

Robert H. Armstrong

Bob Armstrong has been photographing nature in Alaska for 50 years, both professionally and for his own enjoyment. In this book he shares a broad variety of techniques he has used, strategies for capturing great nature images, hints for different types of photographs, and ways to use your resulting photos.

In Denali
A Photographic Essay of Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska

Text & Photographs by Kim Heacox

Gorgeous book explores the grand landscapes, wildlife, plant life and history of Alaska's vast Denali National Park and Preserve, an area of six million acres.

The Outdoor Classroom:
Integrating Education and Adventure

James R. Jelmberg, Greg S. Goodman, Mary Breunig and Jon McLaren

This book is an inspirational instruction guide for teachers and other educators and naturalists. It breaks new ground by linking academic studies with adventure learning.

Common Dragonflies of the Southwest
A Beginner's Pocket Guide

Kathy Biggs

All the common dragonflies and damselflies of the Southwest

The Mendenhall Wetlands
A Globally Recognized Important Bird Area

Robert Armstrong, Richard Carstensen, Mary Willson & Marge Hermans Osborn

This wildlife guide covers birds found around Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska. Mendenhall Wetlands is widely recognized as one of the key stopover points for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds in coastal Alaska.

Wildflowers of California

Photography Larry Ulrich
Interpretive text by Susan Lamb

Ulrich presents a gorgeous array of images, from desert to seashore,interior valley to mountain meadow, showing the delicate beauty of Golden State wildflowers in their myriad forms. The interpretive text by Susan Lamb brings us inside the natural world, and gives a lucid and fascinating lesson in botany.

Visual Guide to Native and Naturalized Coastal County Plants from Santa Cruz to Mendocino

George Pikkarainen

This innovative guide, created for beginners and people unfamiliar with taxonomic language, uses thousands of small color photos and 52 icons along with brief text to clearly organize more than 520 species of plants.

Wildflowers of the Santa Barbara Foothills

David Powdrell & Hugh Margerum

This attractive book opens the door to the mysterious world of backyard botany and natural history with its captivating color photographs and fascinating research of the wildflowers of the Santa Barbara area.

Dragonflies of Alaska, Second Edition

John Hudson & Robert H. Armstrong

This handy book shows how to identify all 35 dragonfly species found in Alaska. With beautiful close-up color photos plus detailed line drawings, the book explores many of the fascinating aspects of dragonfly behavior.

Alaska Light
Ideas and Images from a Northern Land

Essays & Photographs by Kim Heacox

Gorgeous book paints a mosaic of Alaska's diverse landscapes and wildlife, from the Arctic Slope to the Inside Passage, from glaciers and grizzlies to sled dogs and caribou herds.

Wildflowers of California Postcard Book

Larry Ulrich

Twenty gorgeous images from the award-winning book on ready-to-send postcards, plus a short introductory essay.

Death Valley—Postcard Book

Fred and Randi Hirschmann

Twenty striking images of this diverse park by some of the West's best nature photographers, plus a short introductory essay.

Mono Lake:
Postcard Book

Dennis Flaherty

Twenty great images by Dennis Flaherty of this mysterious inland sea, plus a short introductory essay.

Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest

Photography Larry Ulrich
Interpretive text by Susan Lamb

Ulrich presents both the shy and the showy flora of the diverse habitats of Oregon, Washington and western Idaho. Habitats range from coastal rainforest through mountains and river canyons to deserts.

Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest
Twenty Postcards

Larry Ulrich

A companion souvenir to the larger book.Twenty stunning images plus a short introductory essay.

Eastern Sierra
Twenty Postcards

Dennis Flaherty

Twenty powerful color images of the remarkable landscape on the steep side of one of the world 's great mountain ranges.

Little Trees, Big Sky
Portrait of a Northern Wilderness

Photography Tim Hauf
Text by Conger Beasley Jr.

Tim Hauf made many trips into this daunting wilderness, capturing powerful images that evoke North America's far northern reaches

Butterflies of Arizona
A Photographic Guide

Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin

Naturalist Stewart and friends follow up on his ground-breaking and highly successful Common Butterflies of California with an even more comprehensive guide to the abundant butterflies of the Southwest.

Discover California Wildflowers

Mary Ruth Casebeer
Illustrations by Peggy Edwards-Carkeet

This concise yet detailed field guide by two California Native Plant Society members covers 48 widespread annual wildflowers in the order they bloom. It is presented in clear, readable style, simple enough for school-age plant enthusiasts.

Vineyard Simple
How to Build and Maintain Your Own Small Vineyard

Tom Powers

Finally a book that makes home vineyard planting and wine grape growing accessible to anyone with even a little spare land. Tom Powers has created a how-to book filled with valuable information for the novice viticulturist.