This winter season, whether you're planning to stay in or adventure outdoors, Howe Library as new print and e-books for you. Explore this selection and visit our physical display located in the Howe Library Lobby for even more books like these.
Traveling the Old Ski Tracks of New England by
For over a century New Englanders have taken to the slopes in search of ways to enjoy the coldest months, and skiing has deep roots in the region. In the late nineteenth century Scandinavian immigrants worked to educate snowbound locals on how to ski, make equipment, and prepare trails. Soon thereafter, colleges across the Northeast built world-class ski programs, massive jumps were constructed in Brattleboro and Berlin, and dozens of ski areas-big and small-cropped up from the 1930s through the 1960s. Traveling the Old Ski Tracks of New England offers a fascinating history of downhill, cross-country, and backcountry skiing across the region and its leading personalities. Moving from popular destinations like Stowe, Cannon, Bromley, and Mount Washington to the less intimidating hills surrounding Boston, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, E. John B. Allen also recovers the forgotten stories of ski areas that have been abandoned in the face of changing tastes and a warming climate.
Ski Jumping in the Northeast by
Dozens of towering ski jumps once dotted the landscape across the northeastern United States. Introduced by Norwegian immigrants in the late 1800s, ski jumping became popular in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut. From Lake Placid to Salisbury, crowds thronged to the jumps to watch. Youngsters like the Tokle brothers and Roy Sherwood rose to stardom. All of that changed in the 1980s, though, with the end of college jumping. Today, only a handful of jumping clubs remain. But in a rare few communities, a strong sense of tradition keeps the spirit alive. Join author and coach Ariel Picton Kobayashi as she examines ski jumping's fascinating identity as both a small-town tradition and thrilling sport.
Ice Fishing : Guide to Great Techniques for Catching Walleye, Pike, Perch, Trout, and Panfish by
Thorough update of Griffin's 1985 ice-fishing guide, including all new photography Insights on tactics and species from experienced locals Includes the latest on tackle, clothing, ice conditions, shelters, and electronics Steve Griffin has been ice fishing and writing about it for more than forty years. He published the first edition of his ice-fishing guide with Stackpole in the mid-80s and now updates it to include and celebrate all that has changed in the sport including the current methods for taking walleye, pike, perch, trout, and panfish.
The Joy of Winter Hiking: Inspiration and Guidance for Cold Weather Adventures by
Your daily dose of nature doesn't have to retreat with the warm weather. The Joy of Winter Hiking is your ultimate guide to getting outdoors in the most underrated season. In fact, author Derek Dellinger believes you should be seeking outdoor adventure in colder months, not just in spite of snow and cloudy days, but because of these factors! From unmatched snow-capped views to the mental and physical health benefits of nature to precious wildlife sightings, the winter holds endless hiking opportunities. Alongside stunning winter photography, Derek prepares readers to venture safely and securely into nature. There's advice on the gear you need to get going, the wildlife you might expect to find, understanding weather risks, and even the how-tos of cold-weather camping. Made for the winter sportsman, tree hugger, and avid hiker alike, this book is a thorough guide and breathtaking showcase of what's awaiting you on the trail.
Snowshoe Country: An Environmental and Cultural History of Winter in the Early American Northeast by
Snowshoe Country is an environmental and cultural history of winter in the colonial Northeast, closely examining indigenous and settler knowledge of snow, ice, and life in the cold. Indigenous communities in this region were more knowledgeable about the cold than European newcomers from temperate climates, and English settlers were especially slow to adapt. To keep surviving the winter year after year and decade after decade, English colonists relied on Native assistance, borrowed indigenous winter knowledge, and followed seasonal diplomatic protocols to ensure stable relations with tribal leaders. Thomas M. Wickman explores how fluctuations in winter weather and the halting exchange of winter knowledge both inhibited and facilitated English colonialism from the 1620s to the early 1700s. As their winter survival strategies improved, due to skills and technologies appropriated from Natives, colonial leaders were able to impose a new political ecology in the greater Northeast, projecting year-round authority over indigenous lands.
The Courage of Birds: And the Often Surprising Ways They Survive Winter by
From our own backyards to the rim of the Arctic ice, countless birds have adapted to meet the challenges of the winter season. This is their remarkable story, told by award-winning birder and acclaimed writer Pete Dunne, accompanied by illustrations from renowned artist and birder David Sibley. Despite the seasonal life-sapping cold, birds have evolved strategies that meet winter's vicissitudes head on, driven by the imperative to make it to spring and pass down their genes to the next generation. The drama of winter and the resilience and adaptability of birds witnessed in the harsher months of the calendar is both fascinating and astonishing. In The Courage of Birds, Pete Dunne--winner of the American Birding Association's Roger Tory Peterson Award for lifetime achievement in promoting the cause of birding--chronicles the behavior of the birds of North America. He expertly explores widespread adaptations, such as feathers that protect against the cold, and unpacks the unique migration patterns and survival strategies of individual species. Dunne also addresses the impact of changing climatic conditions on avian longevity and recounts personal anecdotes that soar with a naturalist's gimlet eye. Filled with unforgettable facts, wit, and moving observations on the natural world, Dunne's book is for everyone; from the serious birder who tracks migration patterns, to the casual birder who logs daily reports on eBird, to the backyard observer who throws a handful of seed out for the Northern Cardinals and wonders how the birds magically appear in the garden when temperatures begin to fall.
Black Days tells the story of Daniel Fassett, a Vermont man who crashes his vehicle into the Mad River on Christmas Eve, 1992. After nearly drowning, Daniel falls into a four-month-long coma shortly before his retirement date, and loses a significant portion of his pension. Depressed and financially strapped, he enlists the aid of a local semi-retired physician, Dr. William Butcher, to help him hibernate through the winter in a homemade casket housed in a backyard maple sugarhouse. Despite Daniel's attempts to maintain secrecy, word of the procedure eventually gets out -- and that is when trouble begins. From across the country, folks eager to escape their woes reach out to Daniel and Dr. Butcher in hopes of becoming the next to pass a season in oblivion. Large sums of money are offered for the privilege -- but death, deception, and moral and ethical dilemmas that have no clear solutions wreak havoc on Daniel's life.
On a May evening in 1927, America's most famous lawyer, Clarence Darrow, surveyed a packed Dartmouth College auditorium. The title of his lecture, "Why I Oppose Capital Punishment," was controversial. Few Americans, none with the celebrity of Darrow, favored abolition of the death penalty. For the past decade, legislatures had raced to reintroduce capital punishment where it had been abolished. States experimented with new methods of execution. Thirty miles from Hanover, New Hampshire, in neighboring Vermont, Windsor State Prison installed an electric chair to replace the gallows. Many Vermonters were awaiting the execution of John Winters, who was in the prison's "death cell." Four months earlier in a sensational trial that captured national attention, a jury had found him guilty of murdering a prominent Vermont businesswoman. Clarence Darrow's fame-as great in the celebrity-crazed Roaring Twenties as that of Charles Lindbergh or Charlie Chaplin-owed much to the public's fascination with his uncanny ability to save murderers from execution. Three years before, in a case that transfixed the nation, Darrow saved from death the wealthy precocious teenagers Leopold and Loeb, who kidnapped and murdered fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks in a thrill killing. For seventy-year-old Darrow, the Dartmouth lecture enabled him to emphasize the one principle-some said the only one-he consistently followed as a lawyer. "He has an insane desire to save life," said a colleague summarizing Darrow's half-century as "attorney for the damned." But for Clarence Darrow, the Dartmouth talk was far removed from the urgency of life-and-death representation. "Darrow Plans to Retire" headlined the New York Times a month before. He was a grandfather and if he was now to give lectures instead of trying cases, Dartmouth-his only son, Paul, was a 1904 graduate-seemed a pleasant place to start. When Darrow finished his remarks, he was surrounded by students as eager as any audience to be near fame. "One of the boys came to me and told me a lady wanted to see me and told me what it was all about. I told the boy he was crazy that no such thing could have happened," wrote Darrow to Paul, the next day. "But I told him to bring her," he continued, "and she showed me your letter. She said you were in no way to blame . . . She said she could raise a little money, and I told her I didn't want any. Of course, I will do all I can for her . . . I am sorry this has bothered you all these years." The 1904 letter the woman showed Clarence Darrow contained a promise: if ever she or her family needed help, Paul Darrow assured her that his father would assist her. Now, twenty-three years later, she was asking America's most renowned lawyer to make good on his own son's pledge. "I need your help," Mrs. Arthur Cooley told Darrow. "My nephew John Winters is on Death Row in Vermont."
Clementine is back on the road, looking to put her traumatic past behind her and forge a new path all her own. But when she comes across an Amish teenager named Amos with his head in the clouds, the unlikely pair journeys North to an abandoned ski resort in Vermont, where they meet up with a small group of teenagers attempting to build a new, walker-free settlement. As friendship, rivalry, and romance begin to blossom amongst the group, the harsh winter soon reveals that the biggest threat to their survival...might be each other."--Amazon.
"Powerhouse creator Tillie Walden takes on the world of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead in the most anticipated YA graphic novel of 2022. The trilogy marks the graphic novel debut of Clementine, star of the massively successful Telltale Games video game.
"Powerhouse creator Tillie Walden takes on the world of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead in the most anticipated YA graphic novel of 2022. The trilogy marks the graphic novel debut of Clementine, star of the massively successful Telltale Games video game.
Ski Films: A Comprehensive Guide by
Skiing in movies, like the sport itself, grew more prevalent beginning in the 1930s, when it was a pastime of the elite, with depictions reflecting changes in technique, fashion and social climate. World War II saw skiing featured in a dozen films dealing with that conflict. Fueled by postwar prosperity, the sport exploded in the 1950s--filmmakers followed suit, using scenes on snow-covered slopes for panoramic beauty and the thrill of the chase. Through the free-spirited 1960s and 1970s, the downhill lifestyle shussed into everything from spy thrillers to beach party romps. The extreme sports era of the 1980s and 1990s brought snowboarding to the big screen. This first ever critical history of skiing in film chronicles a century of alpine cinema, with production information and stories and quotes from directors, actors and stuntmen.
A History of Dog Sledding in New England by
Sled dogs trot through expanses of sparkling white snow, pulling a musher and energetically surging with the command, "Let's go!" From puppies to seasoned competitors, sled dogs partner with mushers in a passionate pursuit of a great racing tradition. The renowned and formidable Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby, the New England Sled Dog Club and famous drivers like Dr. Charles Belford--who came in fifth place at Laconia at the age of seventeen--helped solidify the fame of New England sled dog trails. Historian Bruce D. Heald celebrates the best of the sport in the region, from the feats of legendary Arthur Walden and his famous Chinook dogs to the Siberian huskies' contribution to the World War II effort. Join Heald as he charts the legacy of this remarkable sport.
When two young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to growing apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths an ancient mass grave—only to discover that the earth refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a sinister con man, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As the inhabitants confront the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive. This magisterial and highly inventive novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason brims with love and madness, humor and hope. Following the cycles of history, nature, and even language, North Woods shows the myriad, magical ways in which we’re connected to our environment, to history, and to one another. It is not just an unforgettable novel about secrets and destinies, but a way of looking at the world that asks the timeless question: How do we live on, even after we’re gone?
