Borneman, Walter R. 1952-

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Borneman, Walter R. 1952-

PERSONAL:

Born 1952.

ADDRESSES:

Home—CO.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

(With Lyndon J. Lampert) A Climbing Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners, Pruett (Boulder, CO), 1978, twentieth anniversary edition, 1998.

Marshall Pass: Denver & Rio Grande, Gateway to the Gunnison Country: Featuring the Dow Helmers Collection, Century One Press (Colorado Springs, CO), 1980.

Colorado's Other Mountains: A Climbing Guide to Selected Peaks Under 14,000 Feet, Cordillera Press (CO), 1984.

How I Failed to Make a Fortune in Real Estate and So Can You!, Cordillera Press (Evergreen, CO), 1986.

Walter V. Berry: Inventor, Entrepreneur, and Philanthropist for Children, Pruett (Boulder, CO), 2001.

Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

1812: The War That Forged a Nation, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Walter R. Borneman has authored several books primarily in the area of the outdoors and American war history. In Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land, Borneman provides a history of the forty-ninth U.S. state and the issues that have affected it, such as Native land rights versus timber and fishing access. He also discusses the U.S. Army's move of the Aleuts during World War II and writes about various mountaineering exploits. A Kirkus Reviews contributor referred to Alaska as "a sensitive background to the 49th state, capably finessing conflicts, then shifting gears to take the narrative off on a pleasing storytelling spin." A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote: "The chapters on Alaska's environment demonstrate the balance of textbook history and storytelling that makes this informative book so readable." Margaret Atwater-Singer commented in the Library Journal that Borneman "has done an excellent job of describing why [the American public's] fascination [with Alaska] exists."

In 1812: The War That Forged a Nation, the author uses a variety of sources to retell the story of the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. Referring to the author as "a lively narrator," Gilbert Taylor, writing in Booklist, added that 1812 "will be welcomed by military-history readers." A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it "a solid performance, … placing key events in a larger perspective without playing down the vast stupidity of many of the participants." An NJ.com contributor wrote that "Borneman presents a view of the War of 1812 as one that took eighteen very provincial states and forged them—after considerable trials—into one nation poised to expand across the American continent."

Borneman focuses on another conflict in The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America. In his historical account of the war, which lasted from 1754 to 1763, the author includes numerous maps, a chronology, and an annotated list of primary players. A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that the book, "like its predecessors, evinces much reading and a thorough understanding of the people, the places … and the events. Evident, too, is a sort of narrative ebullience often lacking from more academic accounts." Gilbert Taylor, writing in Booklist, noted that the author writes about "the war's bloody cost as he fluently acquaints readers with its strategic course." Tim Davis, writing on the BookLoons Web site, referred to the book as a "compelling new narrative history," adding that the author "tells the story of the French and Indian War with diligence and enthusiasm." Davis continued: "Thoroughly documented and engagingly written, Borneman's book features all the main personalities." A Publishers Weekly contributor referred to the history as "an excellent general-audience version" of the war. Lawrence R. Maxted commented in the Library Journal that the author writes about "the global strategy … and provides a rich narrative of the important campaigns, battles, and personalities."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2004, Gilbert Taylor, review of 1812: The War That Forged a Nation, p. 41; October 15, 2006, Gilbert Taylor, review of The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America, p. 18.

Kirkus Reviews, January 20, 2003, review of Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land, p. 71; August 1, 2004, review of 1812, p. 719; August 1, 2006, review of The French and Indian War, p. 762.

Library Journal, February 1, 2003, Margaret Atwater-Singer, review of Alaska, p. 100; October 15, 2006, Lawrence R. Maxted, review of The French and Indian War, p. 71.

Publishers Weekly, January 20, 2003, review of Alaska, p. 71; August 14, 2006, review of The French and Indian War, p. 189.