Fall Book Releases

Travels in the Greater Yellowstone by Jack Turner is the product of his exploration of the two national parks, three national wildlife refuges, parts of six national forests, and eleven wilderness areas that compose this island of natural ecosystem in our midst. His series of essays tell of the twelve trips he made covering this broad expanse. After hiking, climbing, skiing, canoeing lakes, floating rivers, and driving the area, Turner believes that the Greater Yellowstone area is ground zero for the country's battle to preserve natural areas. Reading this volume puts you right into the beauty and conflicts of the wilderness. (Thomas Dunne Books; $26)

Saving Homewaters: The Story of Montana's Streams and Rivers by Gordon Sullivan tells the encouraging story of how much of our state's water has been cleaned up in the last century and talks about the people and policies that helped with the reclamation. But Gordon also warns about the current and future threats to the environment of our beloved waterways. They are one of Montana's prime assets for agriculture, fishing, mining, and clean drinking water, and this book is an important resource on the subject. (Countryman Press; $25)

The Eleventh Man, the latest novel by Ivan Doig, is due in October. It tells the story of the undefeated Treasure State University football team in 1941. As a group they enlist after Pearl Harbor, and one of them, Ben Reinking, is given the task of reporting on the other ten men. His job is part of hero-making for the military propaganda machine to encourage enlistments and keep the public supporting the war effort. He comes to hate his relatively safe assignment as his friends face the enemy at a personal level. This promises to be another of Ivan's great Montana books. (Harcourt; $26)

Mary Jane DiSanti is the owner of Country Bookshelf in Bozeman.