Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers.
Proving that fishing is not just a part-time pursuit, "At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman" takes us through a year with America's favorite fishing scribe, John Gierach, who dedicates himself to his passion despite his belief that "In the long run, fishing usually amounts to a lifetime of pratfalls punctuated by rare moments of perfection."
Beginning with an early spring expedition to barely thawed Wyoming waters and ending with a New Year's Eve trip to the Frying Pan River in Colorado, Gierach's travels find him fishing for trout, carp, and grayling; considering the pros and cons of learning fishing from videos ("video fishing seems a little like movie sex: fun to watch, but a long way from the real thing"); pondering the ethics of sharing secret spots; and debunking the myth of the unflappable outdoorsman ("masters of stillness on the outside, festering s***holes of uncertainty just under the surface").
With an appreciation of the highs, the lows, and all points between, Gierach writes about the fishing life with wisdom, grace, and the well-timed wisecrack. As he says, "The season never does officially end here, but it ends effectively, which means you can fish if you want to and if you can stand it, but you don't have to." As any Gierach fan knows, want to and have to are never very far apart.

The idea of this book started with the listed rod and reel records of the catch of Striped Bass of 60 pounds or more. Investigation showed many of these men and women who caught these big bass have passed on or can't be found and their stories lost. It became obvious that a 60-pound plus Striped Bass caught by rod and reel was a rare event. So rare that I could not find a 100 after looking through all sought of outdoor media information. If so rare a catch was registered, the story of the catch must be just as unique. After interviewing many of these men and women, I realized that each story contained the passion of its angler and the determination of its foe, the Striped Bass. These rare stories should be preserved; once lost, they will be gone forever. They contain passions from real men and women who have spent countless days, months or even years seeking this trophy.

Immerse yourself in the rich sights, sounds, and smells of big game hunting in "Alaskan Sunrise to African Sunset," a rollicking tale of one man's hunting adventures in the great outdoors. With stunning detail and a flair for storytelling, Glenn T. Bingham shares his thirty-year journey from his humble beginnings hunting small game and deer in upstate New York to escapades throughout the lower 48 states, Canada, Alaska, and Africa. Follow Bingham as he hunts whitetails in the great white north, stalks mule deer in the Rocky Mountains, climbs above the Arctic Circle for dall sheep, and tracks cape buffalo into the tall grass of Zimbabwe. Along the way he recreates the beauty of nature, lessons learned (sometimes the hard way), and the satisfaction of success. Containing more than fifty pictures, this engrossing account presents an exciting, often humorous look at Bingham's experiences in some of the most remote places on the planet. Experience the thrill of the hunt with "Alaskan Sunrise to African Sunset"

Fact & Fiction Hunting & Fishing Stories is a book for anyone who loves to hunt or fish. It is an anthology of short stories both fictional and non-fictional all taken from author Chambless Johnston's own experiences. Have a son or daughter who likes to hunt or fish with you? There are many stories here for you to read about similar experiences that you possibly have had with them and maybe learn a lesson or two. Want to take a quick trip to Africa, India, or Central America to hunt or fish without ever leaving you own home? You will travel around a lot by reading this book. Have a special dog in your family? There are dog stories too. There is a tale in the book for nearly every kind of outdoorsman. Fact & Fiction Hunting & Fishing Stories contains a story on everything from bass fishing to big game hunting. Written with the insight of a Hemingway and the enthusiasm of Zane Grey laugh and maybe cry a bit as you read these special stories.

T.E. Pritt's timeless classic The Book of the Grayling has inspired generations of fly-fishers. First published in 1888, it was long considered the definitive book of the subject of grayling. Pritt drew from a long and rich Northern English tradition of fly-fishing in the limestone rivers and streams of Yorkshire. Many of the methods and techniques he describes are still to be found in use today. This new edition of The Book of the Grayling makes Pritt's eloquent prose available to fly-fishers and armchair adventurers the world over.

First published in the 1940s. One of the best books ever written for the mainly small bore rifle man. Four detailed sections deal with: Military and Sporting Shooting - Techniques of Rifle Shooting - Technical Matters - History of the Sport. Every aspect of rifle shooting is discussed including calibres, ammunition, equipment, hunting, target shooting, sights and much more. Illustrated. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

NETS - HOW TO MAKE, MEND AND PRESERVE THEM. This book remains one of the best and most detailed books on net making ever published. It deals with the manual methods of net making and mending and is intended for the professional and amateur alike, of all ages. The learner is led step by step to the more complicated parts of the subject using the many detailed diagrams which illustrate the text. One hundred and twenty eight pages contain eight Comprehensive Chapters: The First Steps. Setting Up. How To Shape a Net. Sleeve Nets, Bag Nets and Square Netting. How to Mount a Net. How To Mend a Net. Essential Knots and Hitches. Making Carrying Nets, Shopping Bags, Hammocks, Goal Nets, Purse Nets, Tennis Nets, Fishing Nets, etc, etc. Preservation of Nets. This is a fascinating and practical book on a subject which is becoming ever more popular with hobbyists of all ages.Keywords: Knots And Hitches Mend Purse Nets Fishing Nets Shopping Bags Tennis Nets Goal Nets Hammocks Netting First Steps Learner Shape

"Hawking or Faulconry" was originally published in 1686 as part of the author's classic work - "The Gentleman's Recreation.," and is now considered an important milestone in the early history of Falconry. First editions of this work are now extremely rare and consequently expensive. READ COUNTRY BOOKS has now republished it using the original text and engravings. One hundred and fifty five pages contain twenty five detailed chapters: - Directions for Taking Hawks. - Of the Several Sorts of Hawks. - The Gerfaulcon. - The Slight Faulcon. - The Lanner. - The Merlin. - The Hobby. - The Bawrel. - The Castrel. - The Goshawk. - The Sparrow Hawk. - Reclaiming the Haggard-Faulcon. - Enseaming a Faulcon. - Bathing a Hawk. - Making a Hawk Bold and Hardy. - Feeding. - Hern Hawking. - Brook Hawking. - Rules for the Mew. - Falconers Rules. - Falconry Terms. - Diseases and Cures. - Choice and Use of Spaniels. - Certain Terms of Art. - Hawking Statutes. Etc. Also incorporated in the contents is a thirty two page preface with notes on the history of this, and other important falconry books. This is a fascinating read for any Falconry enthusiast or historian, but also contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Many of the earliest sporting books, particularly those dating back to the 1800s, are now extremely scarce and very expensive. READ COUNTRY BOOKS are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Guns have existed in various forms for hundreds of years, and few objects have had such an immense impact on the history of the world. But how did firearms develop? Why did the styles of guns change over the years? Firearms tells the "life story" of the gun, from the hand-held weapons of ancient humans, to the medieval guns of China that propelled objects by chemical reactions, to the modern assault rifle, the gun as the primary weapon in the modern army, and the gun as a tool for hunting. Not only does the book demonstrate how firearms developed--an evolution dependent upon years of trial and error, and often based on the recurrent need for power, accuracy and a fast rate of fire--but it shows how these advances directly affected the everyday life of people in almost every civilization on earth. Firearms provides both students and interested lay readers with insights on how this ubiquitous technology came to be. The work does not focus on just one type of firearm, but covers all types of relevant weapons. Exploring the "life-story" of the gun enables the reader to understand how the firearm came of age in Europe, where competition between nations led to the development of different types of firearms--now known as matchlock, wheelock, and flintlock. As successful as these designs were, it was the precision manufacturing of industrialization that would allow the invention of revolvers, breechloaders, and repeating rifles. Eventually, recognition that the gas and recoil of a shot could be used to reload a gun encouraged development of the semi- and fully-automatic weapons that dominate firearm designs today. Firearms includes a timeline of significant developments in the history of guns, and a bibliography of the most important works for further research.

Originally published in 1931. The first definitve Big Game Hunting anthology to be published in the English language. This is a wonderful collection of the best writings by the best hunters: Selous - Neumann - Percival - Snaffle - Pollock - Baillie-Grohman - Sutherland - Patterson and many others. Contents Include hunting the Big Three and many other species in Africa, Asia, Europe, Arctic, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Read Country Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.