David Williams—In the Range of Fire and Ice: A Human and Natural History of Washington’s Cascades

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover of the book In the Range of Fire and Ice: A Human and Natural History of Washington’s Cascades by David Williams, showing a color drawing of the northwest side of snow-capped Mount Rainier with forested areas below, superimposed on a black and white vintage topographic map of the area. The title is midnight blue, the subtitle is white, and the author’s name is flax yellow. The artist is Katie Jeanne Reim.
Fire and Ice
IN THE RANGE OF FIRE AND ICE: A HUMAN AND NATURAL HISTORY
OF WASHINGTON’S CASCADES
David B. Williams
Mountaineers Books, September 1, 2026
Hardcover: $29.95
ISBN-13: 978-1-68051-676-0

Williams reports:

In 2021, my book Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound came out. Each chapter focused on a different subject, all linked by geography and my experiences. After bouncing around ideas for future books, including interviewing researchers, I had an epiphany: the logical next book should take a similar approach with my region’s other great geographical feature, the mountains.

Portrait photo of David Williams at the Cascades
David Williams
Photo by Marjorie Kittle
I reached out to my long-time friend Emily White, acquisitions editor for Mountaineers Books. I had worked with Emily previously, so I felt comfortable calling her to discuss the idea for a book focused on the human and natural history of the Cascades.

She was very positive and made a few suggestions. I then followed my typical plan for a book. I spent the next several months interviewing people who knew more about the place and subjects that interested me, including geologists and ecologists, as well as archaeologists, historians, and tribal members. Based on what they said, what interested me, and what I thought would be fun to research—in the field and via reading—I created my proposal and submitted it to Emily. She responded within days: “Your proposal passed with flying colors and much enthusiasm.”

Then the fun began. Field time with experts in the field. Deep dives into historical research. Interviews with more scientists. Writing and rewriting. The several months of work for a detailed proposal—basically my road map for the book—proved so useful I cannot think of any information I wish I had known beforehand.

One thing that helped is that I knew I needed as much field time as I could get. Most fieldwork in the Cascades occurs in the summer and fall, when the mountains aren’t buried in snow. That led me to request a later due date.

Several years ago, I purposely chose to be a writer of regional stories. I feel it has paid off by leading to a strong relationship with a publisher and people who know that I will write a book filled with my enthusiasm, knowledge, and passion for my chosen home landscape.

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Banner image adapted from original photo by David Williams.

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Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

NASW members: Will your book be published soon? Visit www.nasw.org/advance-copy-submission-guidelines for information on submitting your report.

Publication of NASW author reports in Advance Copy does not constitute NASW's endorsement of any publication or the ideas, values, or material contained within or espoused by authors or their books. We hope this column stimulates productive discussions on important topics now and in the future as both science and societies progress. We welcome your discussion in the comments section below.

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