Fun Facts Friday: Hal Borland

Hal Borland (14 May, 1900 – 22 February, 1978) was an American author, mostly focusing on non-fiction books and articles about nature and the outdoors.

Books by Hal Borland*

Fun Facts about Hal Borland:

1. Hal Borland was born as Harold Glen Borland in Sterling, Nebraska. Ten years later, the family moved to Brush, Colorado where William Arthur Borland literally staked out a homesteader’s claim on the prairie.
2. The Borland family couldn’t make a living on the farm. Thus, his father sold the farm and bought the local newspaper.
3. In the University of Colorado, Mr. Borland majored in engineering. As a college student he worked in local newspapers and realized that above all he should be an author. Mr. Borland therefore moved to New York City, studying journalist in Columbia University.
4. Mr. Borland worked as a journalist his whole life, as well as writing books about nature.
5. First published in the 1920s, Mr. Borland wrote under the nom de plume Ward West.
6. In the 1940s Mr. Borland resigned his full time journalist work to become, of course, a freelance writer, his output increased dramatically. During that time Mr. Borland wrote fiction and non-fiction works for children and adults.
7. There are 30 books and many more articles and columns authored by Hal Borland.
8. Even though he didn’t sign his editorials, he never made a secret of writing them.
9. The Borland family’s mailbox had no name on it to protect his privacy. That being said, nature lovers who managed to find him were warmly welcomed.
10. In 1968 Mr. Borland received the John Burroughs Medal. This medal is considered the highest award for nature writing.

Books by Hal Borland*

Zohar — Man of la Book
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account