Books and Calendars
A great many of us like to get out and visit areas of natural and scenic beauty across the country, but when we can't, the next best thing is to experience them vicariously through the words and images of others. If you know of someone who appreciates nature and images of the great the outdoors, here are two books on national parks that I would definitely recommend: National Parks of America (with photographs by David Muench and text by Stewart Udall and James Udall) is a 224-page book that covers 43 of the national parks, and features an incredible array of photographs; and Our National Parks (by David Muench, Ruth Rudner, and Thomas Kiernan, with photographs by David Muench), a 230-page book that also covers the well-known parks, plus some lesser-known areas. Both books are published by Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company and are available at bookstores for $30-$50. Believe me when I tell you that you won't get tired of looking at these beautiful photographs and it will inspire you to take your next trip to a national park.If you regularly visit your local bookstores, you've probably noticed that every year more and more shelf space is being taken up by calendars. These useful, yet inexpensive gifts, afford an opportunity to support many of the conservation organizations that receive a portion of the proceeds from their sale. Consider purchasing a calendar directly from the Sierra Club or at Amazon or Borders you can find a number of other nature calendars, including the 2007 National Park Calendar from National Geographic, the 2007 Audubon Wildflowers Calendar (National Audubon Society), and the 2007 National Park Wall Calendar (Browntrout Publishers).
