Holiday books on Arkansas topics great Yule gifts

I’ll make no bones about it ….

It is almost Christmas and time for a list of the best Arkansas books for gifts and memberships in area and state groups that will keep readers informed all year long.

So, here goes.

One of the most popular books in 2017 has been Rex Nelson’s, “Southern Fried: Going Whole Hog in a State of Wonder.” This is a great Arkansas book published by Butler Center Books in Little Rock. This is about food, travel, people and the Great State of Arkansas, all rolled into one. As Nelson has resumed his column writing talents for the state’s largest daily newspaper, this volume seems even more interesting.

Another beautiful book, this one by the University of Arkansas Press, is “Champion Trees of Arkansas: An Artist’s Journey,” by Linda Williams Palmer. It is breathtaking and informative.

Need a big coffee-table-type book for a special person? Then grab up the last of the UA Press’ collection of the watercolor works of George Dombrek. Simply titled: “Barns and Portrait Paintings.”

Do you want to read something local?

Well, grab off the shelves a locally produced book from the prodigious writer, J.B. Hogan. The first in a series of murder mysteries, “Tin Hollow,” is set in the 1930s and 1940s corruption in NW Arkansas. It is by Shannon Press, an imprint of Oghma Creative Media of Fayetteville.

Just out by the UA Press is “Bullets and Fire: Lynching and Authority in Arkansas, from 18401850,” an edited collection by Guy Lancaster of Little Rock. It is a great historical read into one of the darkest days of our state’s history.

For the outdoorsman, the UA Press has a new travel/guidebook in the Natural State, “Exploring The Big Woods,” by Matthew D. Moran. This is a great guide to the last great forest in the Arkansas Delta.

Wanting something for a retired teacher?

How about “A Man of Vision,” a great read concerning the life of Arch Ford, longtime commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education. This book is from Butler Center Books.

Want a local murder mystery?

Try “A Lovely Murder,” the second in the Danni Deadline Thriller Series by Lori Stone Ericson. The first book was a smash hit, featuring NW Arkansas characters and settings.

How about something for the gardener in the family?

The UA Press has a gem of a book, “An Arkansas Florilegium: The Atlas of Botanist Edwin Smith,” and it is illustrated by Naturalist Kent Bonar.

You can open this book to any page and you will step into the shoes of an itinerant naturalist, accomplished artist and environmental activist who took up the most quixotic of tasks — to annotate and illustrate professor Edwin B. Smith’s pioneering 580page survey of his state’s flora.

And for the outdoorsman on your list, there is a reissue of a UA Press classic, “Arkansas Mammals: Their Natural History, Classification, and Distribution,” by John A. Sealander and Gary A. Heidt. This comprehensive guide to the state’s mammal population enables both the professional and nonprofessional to identify the more than 70 mammal species in Arkansas. Behavior, habitat preferences, reproduction, distribution and economic importance are covered for each species.

Still needing better hints, here are two suggestions remaining.

History lovers, especially those in Northwest Arkansas, must have a membership to the Washington County Historical Society. A basic membership is $25 per year ($15 for students

and senior citizens). The basic membership level includes all four issues of Flashback, the historical quarterly. Check it out at info@washcohistoricalsociety.org.

For lovers of the state’s history, there is no better organization to join than the Arkansas Historical Association, which publishes the Arkansas Historical Quarterly and has other programs. The basic membership is $20 per year. Information can be found at www.arkansashistoricalassociation.org

And next week, if I can put these must-read books down, it’s back to politics.

Maylon Rice is a former journalist who worked for several northwest Arkansas publications. He can

be reached via email at maylontrice@yahoo.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.