Bridgeport Hunter/Author Wins Book Award

Tim Baugh of Bridgeport, California and his publisher, Companion Press of Bozeman, Montana, have received a design award for Spirit of a Hunter, published in June of 2010.

PubWest, the leading trade association of independent publishers in North America, has announced the winners of its 2011 Book Design Awards contest, in which Spirit of a Hunter won a Silver Award in the Sports/Fitness/Recreation category.

“I’m thrilled that my stories about hunting have been honored this way,” Baugh stated, “I never dreamed that my drawings and photos, let alone my field notes, would be part of such a beautiful book.”

Spirit of a Hunter was designed by Don French of Santa Barbara, California, design instructor at Brooks Institute of Photography and a contributor to many of Companion Press’ titles.

Mark Schlenz (former instructor at Cerro Coso Community College, now at Montana State University) edited the stories, and Companion Press Publisher Jane Freeburg supervised all aspects of production and manufacturing; the book was printed and bound in China.

Spirit of a Hunter is a $39.95 jacketed clothbound book, available locally at Ken’s Sporting Goods and The Lazy Coconut in Bridgeport, The Booky Joint in Mammoth Lakes, and Spellbinder Books in Bishop.

Signed, numbered copies of a slipcased Limited Edition are $69.96, available only from the author at www.spiritofahunter.com.

Spirit of a Hunter grew from lifelong hunter Tim Baugh’s collection of personal stories, and captures the spirit of hunting, celebrates hunting with friends, family and dogs, and passes on hunting tradition—including favorite game recipes from his years in the field.

Baugh’s heartfelt essays address the challenges and express the rewards of ethical game hunting on the West’s public lands. Color photography illustrates the remote, beautiful landscapes that challenge a hunter’s skills and inspire return visits season after season, as well as the elk, deer, antelope, boar and turkey Tim and his wife, sons, and friends have hunted.

Spirit of a Hunter offers a legacy of practical skills with generous doses of Tim Baugh’s humility and humor.
Tim Baugh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California.

An avid hunter and outdoorsman since childhood, he has published his hunting adventure stories in numerous hunting and conservation magazines.

He is now living his dream in a cabin nestled in the Eastern Sierras with his wife Debbie and two dogs, Dixie and Shooter.

Recognizing excellent design and outstanding production quality of books from independent publishers, the PubWest Book Design Award contest is the longest running and most prestigious design awards contest in the independent publishing industry.

The 2011 PubWest Design Awards contest received more entries than ever before in its history, judging 160 entries from 74 publishers in 20 categories on typography, jacket/cover design, interior design, format, selection of materials used, and printing and binding production quality.

The list of winning titles is now available at www.pubwest.org.

Publishers enter the PubWest Book Design Awards to showcase their strongest designs, to recognize the hard work of their editorial production staff and freelancers, and for the unique opportunity to receive critical design feedback from an expert panel of judges.

Winners will be recognized at the 2011 PubWest Conference to be held November 3-5 in Henderson, Nevada at the Green Valley Ranch Resort.

For more information contact:
Jane Freeburg, Publisher
Companion Press
jane@companionpress.biz
(406) 585-9565 or cell (406) 600-4812
Details of the Award:
PubWest 2011 Book Design Award Contest Winner
Category: Sports/Fitness/Recreation
Silver Award:
Spirit of a Hunter by Tim Baugh
Companion Press (Bozeman, MT; tel: 406-600-4812) ISBN: 978-0-944197-87-5, $39.95 Editor: Mark A. Schlenz
Designer: Don French
Production Manager: Jane Freeburg
Artist/Illustrator: Tim Baugh
Photographer: Tim Baugh, Debbie Baugh
Printer/Bindery: Printed in China through Bolton and Associates

About Spirit of a Hunter:
His message is clear, strong and informative… capturing the essence of hunting and the great outdoors.
Spirit of a Hunter is what is right about hunting. –Northern Nevada Outdoors

Excerpted text from Spirit of a Hunter:
Why go hunting?
Along the way there is conversation, pains, and laughter as well as thoughts about why you do such a thing. It is a hard question to answer, but I still try. Maybe it is the mental and physical challenge and the skills involved, or even the fulfillment of providing. Perhaps the quiet beauty or excitement and adventure inspire, while just the love of the hunt and genetic history drive an individual. It could be the reward of the prized meat or a once-in-a-lifetime trophy. But mostly, it is spending quality time with friends and family, as well as a desire to help manage game in a positive way. Ultimately, if you put a little of all these things together, there is a reason to hunt.

–Tim Baugh, excerpt from “A Day on Elk Mountain”