Lawrence Gonzales wraps up his latest book with “rules of adventure” that could save your life. He tells how to survive big trouble. “Deep Survival – Who Lives, Who Dies and Why?’ (W. W. Norton, 302 pages, hard cover, $25.95) is a fascinating collection of true stories.

What makes the book especially interesting is that Gonzales shows how “getting lost” in the outdoors parallels the “getting lost” pattern for businesses and individuals in other situations.

The stories he has chosen to make his points range from snowmobilers and mountain climbing to war.

Gonzales uses the latest scientific research to explain why people behave as they do in the clutch of mortal danger. He says survival is a state of mind that may take years to cultivate.

“At heart, a survivor trusts himself, but he also has humility…

“A victim … tends to blame others and look outside himself for rescue.”

You will breathe “Wow!” more than once as you read this book.

Notable books

Rich and memorable paintings from the Skagit Delta of Washington create the backbone of “Alfred Currier-Impasto” (University of Washington Press/Marquand books, 112 pages, hard cover, $24.95).

Ted Lindberg traces the development of this Northwest artist who dedicated this book to the Hispanic migrant worker. Eighty-three of the 87 illustrations are in color – the Skagit Valley is tulip country, so the color is vivid.

Other notable books:

Andrea Vogt’s “Common Courage – Bill Wassmuth, Human Rights and Small-Town Activism” (University of Idaho Press, 225 pages, soft cover, $16.95) tells the story of the courageous Ellensburg priest who was a leader in Northwest struggles with hate groups.

In “Living With the Genie” (Island Press, 347 pages, hard cover, $27) editors Alan Lightman, Daniel Sarewitz and Christina Desser gather 16 essays by innovative thinkers who look at life in this age of exponentially expanding technology – robotics, the Internet, nanotechnology, cloning and more..

Charles P. LeWame’s “Washington State-Third Edition” (University of Washington Press, 372 pages, hard cover, $60) reaches beyond its design as a high school textbook in an encyclopedic presentation that includes 19 maps and 184 illustrations. New and expanded material includes sections on Kennewick Man, salmon recovery and other issues.

In “The Roaring Nineties: A New History of the World’s Most Prosperous Decade” (W.W. Norton, 416 pages, hard cover, $24.95), economist Joseph Stiglitz explains how the unprecedented boom of deregulation led to the bust that now grips the country.

Poet David Biespiel, a teacher at Oregon State University, shows off his skill with a form he developed, the nine-line verse he calls an “American sonnet,” in his latest book, “Wild Civility” (University of Washington Press, 80 pages, soft cover, $14.95; hard back, $25).