Just in time for those cozy indoor reading days, the latest Oregon Blue Book is here, bringing the natural splendor of the Beaver State into the palms of your hands. Published by the Oregon Secretary of State's office every two years, the new 2025-2026 edition is now available for those eager to get a snapshot of Oregon's diverse landscapes and celestial moments, evident in the striking imagery that dons its covers.
Photographers Matt Straite and Nathan Rohde are the artists behind the Blue Book's latest cover art, capturing Oregon's lesser-seen desert beauty and the grandeur of the cosmos. Straite's work, titled "The Many Sides of Oregon," graces the front cover with a scene from the Painted Cove in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument; the shot taken from a boardwalk designed to preserve the area's delicate clay hills, a point Straite emphasized in a statement obtained by the Oregon Newsroom, "I have always been drawn to images that show the work of mankind in nature, particularly when that work has been added to help others see the nature, like the work of the Civilian Conservation Corp.". The back cover features Rohde's "Comet/C2023 A," an astrophotography capture of what has been dubbed the Great Comet of 2024, its eminence accentuated by the rolling hills below as described in the Oregon Newsroom interview where Rohde recounted the serene conditions that led to his stunning shot: "About 45 minutes after sunset, conditions were perfect and the pictures started coming through!" as per Oregon Blue Book Assets and Information.
The Oregon Blue Book is not just a feast for the eyes but serves as a hub of information about Oregon's government, history, and culture. Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, in his first stint overseeing the publication of the book, described it in the Oregon Newsroom as "an invitation to learn more about Oregon, engage with your neighbors, our government and our state’s history." It's a tribute to a state with a rich and layered identity, an identity that the winning photographers have seized in their respective frames.
The book is now available for presale, with the hardcover priced at $30 and the paperback at $18, plus shipping. These limited-edition copies may be of interest to fans of Oregon’s natural beauty and cosmic connections. The full cover is also available for download at Oregon Blue Book Assets and Information, allowing everyone to view the state's unique appeal, even without purchasing the book.
