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Outdoor Life Lists: A List-by-List Guide to Enjoying the Great Outdoors
Outdoor Life Lists is an informative celebration of the outdoors. Look inside to find 73 checklists covering the essentials needed and potential extras to consider for enjoying outdoor sports, recreation, and activities. These lists cover the things you need to bring and wear to participate fully and safely in every activity. Also included are informative callout lists that may come in handy in various outdoor situations. To top it off, other callouts offer snippets describing things one may observe during the outdoor activity.
216 pages, Paperback
Published April 2, 2024
About the author
Barbara Ann Kipfer
136 books253 followersDr. Barbara Ann Kipfer (born in 1954) is a lexicographer,as well as an archaeologist. She has written more than 60 books, including 14,000 Things to be Happy About (Workman), which has more than a million copies in print and has given rise to many Page-a-Day calendars. The 25th anniversary edition of the book was published in October 2014. She is the editor of Roget's International Thesaurus.
Kipfer is Chief Lexicographer of the company Temnos. She has worked for such companies as Google, Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com, Answers.com, Ask Jeeves, Bellcore/Telcordia, Federated Media Publishing, General Electric Research, IBM Research, idealab, Knowledge Adventure, Textdigger, The Chicago Tribune, and WolframAlpha. Barbara holds a PhD and MPhil in Linguistics (University of Exeter), a PhD in Archaeology (Greenwich University), an MA and a PhD in Buddhist Studies (Akamai University), and a BS in Physical Education (Valparaiso University).
(from Wikipedia)
Kipfer is Chief Lexicographer of the company Temnos. She has worked for such companies as Google, Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com, Answers.com, Ask Jeeves, Bellcore/Telcordia, Federated Media Publishing, General Electric Research, IBM Research, idealab, Knowledge Adventure, Textdigger, The Chicago Tribune, and WolframAlpha. Barbara holds a PhD and MPhil in Linguistics (University of Exeter), a PhD in Archaeology (Greenwich University), an MA and a PhD in Buddhist Studies (Akamai University), and a BS in Physical Education (Valparaiso University).
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 14, 2024
[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest & unbiased review.]
Outdoor Life Lists is a unique introduction of a book, because — well, it’s made up almost exclusively of lists. This simple & accessible format is perfect for beginners of any outdoor sport, recreation, or activity.
The major downside that I see with this book is that it’s perhaps not very useful to OWN. I would imagine that most individuals will only be interested in some of the activities included within these pages. Personally, I skimmed over many sections, focusing mostly on the lists for relatively low-key nature hobbies like hiking, camping, orienteering, etc. (How could I judge the helpfulness or accuracy of lists for golf, ice climbing, or an archaeology dig when I know nothing about these topics?)
Even when interested in the topic at hand... the lists feel like something you could very easily find online. At most, I think this book would be a good reference material to check out from your local library when you are initially curious about a new outdoor activity. Browse the information and use those tips to help you locate your gaps in knowledge — but make sure to seek out a more in-depth resource before getting out there.
This need was perhaps most noticeable within the sections for safety and first aid. Having taken a couple of Wilderness First Aid courses and recently finishing the NOLS Wilderness Medicine book, I was pretty disappointed with the information in Outdoor Life Lists. (For example: The old 15:2 CPR ratio was included instead of the updated 30:2 ratio for adults. And there were instructions for suctioning a snakebite; advice that is no longer recommended because it can lead to even more tissue damage.) I specifically dropped my rating by one star because I did not feel that these very important sections were trustworthy enough.
Overall, I think this book has important but quite limited uses. Reference it to develop a checklist when packing or collecting your gear. Take some quick tips from the informational sections interspersed throughout (such as Leave No Trace principles or how to use the bathroom in the woods). And then… continue your education from some trusted experts in the field!
Outdoor Life Lists is a unique introduction of a book, because — well, it’s made up almost exclusively of lists. This simple & accessible format is perfect for beginners of any outdoor sport, recreation, or activity.
The major downside that I see with this book is that it’s perhaps not very useful to OWN. I would imagine that most individuals will only be interested in some of the activities included within these pages. Personally, I skimmed over many sections, focusing mostly on the lists for relatively low-key nature hobbies like hiking, camping, orienteering, etc. (How could I judge the helpfulness or accuracy of lists for golf, ice climbing, or an archaeology dig when I know nothing about these topics?)
Even when interested in the topic at hand... the lists feel like something you could very easily find online. At most, I think this book would be a good reference material to check out from your local library when you are initially curious about a new outdoor activity. Browse the information and use those tips to help you locate your gaps in knowledge — but make sure to seek out a more in-depth resource before getting out there.
This need was perhaps most noticeable within the sections for safety and first aid. Having taken a couple of Wilderness First Aid courses and recently finishing the NOLS Wilderness Medicine book, I was pretty disappointed with the information in Outdoor Life Lists. (For example: The old 15:2 CPR ratio was included instead of the updated 30:2 ratio for adults. And there were instructions for suctioning a snakebite; advice that is no longer recommended because it can lead to even more tissue damage.) I specifically dropped my rating by one star because I did not feel that these very important sections were trustworthy enough.
Overall, I think this book has important but quite limited uses. Reference it to develop a checklist when packing or collecting your gear. Take some quick tips from the informational sections interspersed throughout (such as Leave No Trace principles or how to use the bathroom in the woods). And then… continue your education from some trusted experts in the field!
April 28, 2024
Useful? Yes. Appears to have been written by AI? Also yes.
I understand the (human) author has written a bijillion books, but they seem primarily to be of lists or toilet reads (with the occasional academic piece to round out her oeuvre).
I understand the (human) author has written a bijillion books, but they seem primarily to be of lists or toilet reads (with the occasional academic piece to round out her oeuvre).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews