Long-lost Canadian library book sparks Smokies connection

When Robert Murray graduated from the University of British Columbia in Canada 62 years ago, he took with him an education, lifelong memories, and a library book—Camping and Woodcraft: A handbook for vacation campers and for travelers in the wilderness.

Murray had first borrowed the UBC Library book during his sophomore year. The volume, plain black but for gold lettering on the spine, was a 1931 edition of the 1921 book by Great Smoky Mountains National Park proponent Horace Kephart. The first publication of a book called Camping and Woodcraft by Horace Kephart came in 1906, followed by a much revised and expanded work called Camping in 1916 and Woodcraft in 1917. The 1921 title combined these two expanded volumes.

“I determined that this book was a treasure—a light year ahead of anything published on the subject at the time I borrowed it, and it has remained so over anything I’ve seen published since,” Murray wrote in a letter accompanying the book when he finally returned it to the library earlier this year.

Though he wrote that he “never felt very guilty” about holding onto the book given that it had been checked out only once in the ten years prior to his discovering it, in the letter he explained that “on nearing the end of my life I believe it should go back home.”

Kephart, a librarian who reinvented himself as a writer, outdoorsman, and champion of the movement to create Great Smoky Mountains National Park, was adept in a wide variety of wilderness skills. Camping and Woodcraft communicates Kephart’s understanding of topics ranging from dressing game and fish to shelter construction and camp cooking, with detailed illustrations supporting the narrative. It is one of the best-selling books on the outdoors ever published.

“One of the wonderful things about Camping and Woodcraft is that the lore on camping, hiking, fishing, and other types of outdoor recreation is truly timeless,” said Steve Kemp, former Smokies Life interpretive products and services director. “Where else can you learn about which types of wood make the best campfires and how to walk properly when on a hike? The tips on navigating in the wilderness and outdoor survival are especially valuable.”

While at Smokies Life, Kemp oversaw the 2011 republication of Camping and Woodcraft, which used rescans of Kephart’s original line drawings, new typeset, and never-before-published photographs to give this classic work new life. The edition also included an 80-page introduction by Janet McCue and George Ellison.

“My husband, just a few years younger than Mr. Murray, had his own well-worn copy (1921 edition, 1971 printing) of Camping and Woodcraft on his bookshelf,” said McCue, an author, retired Cornell University librarian, and Smokies Life board member. “We used it on our camping adventures in Thunder Bay, Ontario, as well as on our backpacking trips through the Smokies.”

McCue took an immediate interest in the story of Murray’s belated book return. She has maintained a fascination with Kephart her entire adult life, starting with a paper she wrote about him in 1979, when she was in graduate school. Her advisor suggested she “do something” with this research. She took his advice decades later when she and Ellison wrote their introduction to Camping and Woodcraft, and the project proved a launching pad toward a much bigger endeavor. McCue and Ellison went on to write a 460-page Kephart biography that Smokies Life published in 2019—Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography.

McCue learned about Murray’s story through a UBC News article sent to her by a colleague at Cornell, who in turn had received it from a brother in Colorado. In the story, writer Lui Xia Lee reports that Murray read the book multiple times during the 64 years it was in his possession—even crediting it with saving his and his son’s lives.

In the article, Murray tells the story of a late June hike he took with his son some years ago, when he was in his 50s. The day had started out pleasant and warm, but they got caught in an intense downpour, and the rain quickly chilled their bodies.

Thanks to Horace Kephart, Murray knew that a lean-to shelter, not a tent, was the best way to stay warm in conditions like these, and that his son, who was wearing jeans as opposed to wool pants like Murray, needed to take them off to prevent the wet cotton from continuing to sap his body heat. Within an hour, the pair were dry, cozy, and enjoying bowls of fresh-made stew.

“It’s been many years since I read that book, but I wouldn’t mind actually reading it again,” Murray told the UBC News. “To whoever picks up the book next, I hope they value it.” 

After seeing that line, McCue “couldn’t resist” ensuring Murray received a copy of his own. Smokies Life mailed him not only its edition of Camping and Woodcraft but also Back of Beyond, the Kephart biography McCue co-authored.

“Because Kephart’s original title is now out of copyright, there are dozens of poorly reproduced editions available on the internet,” McCue said. “I thought Mr. Murray deserved a copy that was as clearly printed as the one he returned to the UBC library. I also thought he might appreciate the serendipity and intersections of his story with mine.”

Library staff at UBC said they’re glad to have the book back where it belongs but lauded Murray for being the “ideal library book caretaker.” Camping and Woodcraft was returned in good condition and placed back into the library’s circulation.

“That Mr. Murray’s tale traveled from British Columbia to Colorado to Ithaca, New York, and is now back in the Smokies has to mean it’s a great story,” McCue said. “Kephart would have been happy knowing how much Rob Murray treasured Camping and Woodcraft, and I suspect that Kephart the librarian-turned-woodsman also would chuckle at the happy ending of the story.”