Joining the ranks of such classic books as the “AMC White Mountain Guide” and “Walden,” the 3rd edition of “Hiking Acadia National Park” has just won the National Outdoor Book Award, considered the “outdoor world’s largest and most prestigious book award program.”

The 3rd edition of our ‘Hiking Acadia National Park’ is available on Amazon.com, as well as directly from us.

In describing the guidebook to hiking Acadia, “a place that inspires and regenerates the soul,” the awards announcement states, “It’s all there in one compact package with thoughtful design, clear maps, and straightforward trail descriptions.”

The book, published by Falcon and co-authored by us, has also been submitted for consideration for the Acadia Bicentennial Time Capsule. The time capsule dedication, on Dec. 10, is an official Acadia Centennial event.

The awards program, in its 20th year, is sponsored by the non-profit National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, and Idaho State University.

‘Hiking Acadia National Park’ won in the outdoor adventure guidebook category of the National Outdoor Book Awards.

The National Outdoor Book Awards recognizes books in such categories as outdoor adventure guidebooks (the category that “Hiking Acadia” won for 2016);  classic (the category that a republication of “Walden” won for 2004); and works of significance (the category that the “AMC White Mountain Guide” won for 2003).

The 2016 awards, announced Nov. 17, were judged by an independent panel of educators, academics, book reviewers, authors, editors and outdoors columnists from around the country, including the following from New England:

• Tom Mullin, associate professor of parks and forest resources at Unity College in Unity, ME
• Jeff Cramer, curator of collections at the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods in Lincoln, MA
• Virginia Barlow, consulting forester and co-founder of Northern Woodlands Magazine, of Corinth, VT

Where to find copies of the award-winning ‘Hiking Acadia’ guidebook

As part of our Acadia Centennial Partner commitment, we’ve donated “Hiking Acadia National Park” this year to the following libraries and historical societies, if you’d like to check out the book:

Autographed copies purchased directly from us help raise funds for Acadia, as official Acadia Centennial products.

• Somesville Library
• Southwest Harbor Public Library
• Ellsworth Public Library
• Blue Hill Public Library
• Bangor Public Library
• Southwest Harbor Historical Society

Or if you want to buy a copy for yourself or as a gift, the book is also available for purchase from Amazon.com (see sidebar for links) and other booksellers.

You can also buy an autographed and personally inscribed copy directly from us, as an official Acadia Centennial product, with at least 5 percent of gross proceeds being donated by us to help support the park.

Autographed books may sometimes be found at Sherman’s in Bar Harbor, depending upon whether we’ve had a chance to drop in to sign some copies. But they would not be considered official Acadia Centennial products with 5 percent of gross proceeds going to the park.