Green Hills of Africa is Ernest Hemingway's lyrical journal of a month on safari in the great game country of East Africa, where he and his wife Pauline journeyed in December 1933. Hemingway's well-known interest in - and fascination with - big-game hunting is magnificently captured in this evocative account of his trip. It is examination of the lure of the hunt and an impassioned portrait of the glory of the African landscape and of the beauty of a wilderness that was, even then, being threatened by the incursions of man.

Here's the ideal companion to the most popular starter rifle: the venerable .22. The best isn't always the biggest--and the .22 is not only the perfect first rifle, but also one that many hunters and shooters come back to and use throughout their days afield.
Wayne van Zwoll, a longtime authority on the subject, takes experts and beginners alike through the history, variety, and use of the classic .22. He writes appealingly about his first .22, and the ones he bought for later competitive use. He describes hunting and target shooting with the .22, and details the care and upkeep of the weapon. He also discusses the evolution of the gun, and the refinements of the ammo that go with it.
Included are chapters on:
- The .17 - Practical Scopes - Brownings
- Squirrel Rifles - Ballistics - Winchesters
- Getting to Zero - Better Sights - Rugers
- Holding a Rifle Still - Supports - Savages
- Prepping for the Field - Cleaning - Remingtons
- Real Gunstocks - Why Hunters Miss - Coopers
- A Bullet's Way Through the Wind - The Sling - Marlins
The .22's accuracy, economy, and versatility have made it an all-time best-seller. The Complete Book of the .22 is the perfect, all-encompassing book for first time shooters to veteran rifle owners.

An Historical Dictionary of Forestry and Woodland Terms describes the special words used by those working or hunting in England's woodlands and forests from the early Middle Ages until the present. The author does not simply give the meanings of words: he describes the customs and practices to which they refer, and frequently adds quotations from contemporary sources, the latter ranging from medieval royal charters and Shakespeare's As You Like It to such books as Taylor's Common Good or the Emprovements of Commons (1652), John Evelyn's Sylva (1664) and Jefferies's Wildlife in a Southern County (1879).
From this dictionary the reader will not only learn the meaning of such terms as pismires, perambulation, furlong and quaking ash, but will find brief histories of the forest courts of the Middle Ages, and the lawing of dogs. Long entries describe such complex procedures as bark-stripping, dishing and dressing, and the care and exploitation of coppice. Many words and practices described here survived until the recent past and some are still in use today.
This unique book will be welcomed by everyone interested in the history of English rural life in which woodlands and forests have played, over the centuries, such a vital role.
The entries are fully referenced and illustrated where appropriate with line drawings.

HINTS ON REVOLVER SHOOTING By WALTER WINANS Originally published in 1904, this rare early work on the revolver and its use, is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. READ COUNTRY BOOKS have now republished it, using the original text and artwork, in a high quality, affordable, modern edition. The author was a well known and respected figure in the gun world of that era. He was an expert shot with all types of firearms and was Vice-President of the National Rifle Association and President of the Ashford Rifle Club. He also wrote "The Art of Revolver Shooting" and "Practical Rifle Shooting." and was a prolific contributor of shooting material to the sporting press. The book's one hundred and thirty six pages contain eighteen detailed chapters and many black and white photographs and illustrations: Selecting a Revolver and Ammunition. - Cleaning and Care of Weapons. - Sights. - Learning to Use the Revolver. - Gallery Shooting. - Bisley: 20 Yards Stationary Target. - Disappearing Target. - Rapid Firing. - Traversing target. - Team Shooting and Coaching. - General Remarks on Shooting in Competitions. - Stage Shooting. - Trick Shooting. - Target Shooting off Horseback. - Shooting in Self Defence. - Revolver Shooting for Ladies. - Shooting in the Dark. This is a fascinating read for any gun enthusiast or historian, with much of the information and advice still useful and practical today. "Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in, bear 't that the opposed may beware of thee." Polonoius.

The best fishing writing is never really about fishing, or never only about fishing, and the writers collected in A Twitch Upon the Thread use angling as a way to write about love, loss, faith, and obsession. This is an anthology of fishing writing ranging from medieval times to the present, taking the reader from riverbank to open ocean, from England to New Zealand, from the shore to the depths. Read it and be hooked. Included are contributions from Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens, Ota Pavel, Arthur Ransome, George Orwell, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and dozens more.

Since the 1800s, American periodicals devoted to field sports have been reporting developments in techniques, trends, legislation, conservation, and more. They therefore provide a detailed examination of the rich and broad history of hunting, fishing, foxhunting, and related shooting sports in America. American Sporting Periodicals: An Annotated Bibliography lists all the periodicals on field sports published in America from the early 1800s to 1950-a total of more than 600 titles. Each entry lists information such as years of publication, frequency of issue, publisher, general content, and first and last date of issuance. The book also includes more than twenty-five images of magazine covers and front pages, diagrams that trace various name changes and mergers, and a detailed timeline. Exhaustively researched and carefully compiled, this first comprehensive listing of American sporting periodicals will serve as a valuable reference tool for collectors and researchers of field sports in America.

Discover the pro secrets for catching more and bigger pike. Reverently called the Water Wolf, the northern pike is one of the most exciting freshwater game fish, because it fiercely strikes lures like it hasn't eaten in weeks. These ferocious predators can reach over 4 feet in length and weigh in excess of 40 pounds. The hard-hitting pike ranges from New England through the northern plains to the Rocky Mountains, and all across Canada.
In this expertly written book, pro angler Jack Penny describes how to prepare for unforgettable adventures in fishing for, and catching, trophy pike. He covers tackle and equipment, lures and baits, pike behavior, fishing strategies by season, biology, weather conditions, and techniques for safely releasing fish--and for keeping a few "eaters" for dinner. This must-read book includes all the information a beginner needs, plus valuable tips and techniques for the more experienced angler.

To restore men's rightful heritage, Denis Boyles and Gregg Stebben, the coauthors of A Man's Life: The Complete Instructions, have compiled a priceless treasury of forgotten lore and rustic hobbies that our forefathers possessed but that we have lost. Culled from turn-of-the-century publications and old scouting-type manuals, this guide is written in our grandfathers' language, with their sensibility and wisdom. Since the outdoors is one place where almost all good advice is old advice, the focus is on a man's life lived outdoors camping, hunting, and fishing. With these instructions and advice, man can once again learn how to build a fly fishing rod, shoot a rifle with both eyes open, hit a flying target, start a fire without matches, travel light - but right, keep cool when lost, splice a rope, catch a pig, predict the weather from the color of the sky, rescue someone drowning, send a smoke signal, track a bobcat or a moose, build a log cabin, buy and sort fishing hooks, make a canoe, choose the perfect tent, plan a one-day hike, play golf on a five-acre meadow ... and much, much more. With its mix of essential and extraordinary vintage wisdom, The Lost Lore of a Man's Life is a must for every man's back pocket and backpack.

This book is a plea to everyone but especially to politicians, administrators, farmers and businessmen to take conservation seriously and as a result to integrate conservation with other activities. Through research work and land management the author shows how he came to realise that conservation matters much more fundamentally than is accepted by conventional wisdom. He maintains that the significance of conservation will not be recognised until it is seen within its proper contents of time and this provides the theme of the book. The newness of conservation as an idea and its complexities still provide obstacles to understanding its real significance. In the past too much emphasis has been put on the negative and esoteric aspects of conservation. This book is important because it emphasises its positive and common-sense aspects and in so doing demonstrates that conservation should now be accepted as a major national and international objective of vital concern to everybody now and in the future.

Captive Seawater Fishes Science and Technology Stephen Spotte "The book is clearly a labor of love, and one must admire the author’s boundless enthusiasm and breadth of scholarship." New Scientist A seamlessly clear treatise on the science and technology of maintaining seawater fishes for purposes of aquaculture and public exhibition. Captive Seawater Fishes is the first book to bring together in one volume the disciplines of seawater chemistry, process engineering, and fish physiology, behavior, nutrition, and health. Richly illustrating the interplay between living fishes and the chemical and sensory stimuli of their environment, the book details: chemical processes controlling carbonate stability in seawater; the effect of captivity on physiological processes; sensory processes of fishes, including vision, hearing, and electroreception; diseases of seawater fishes and treatment methods; and more. 1991 (0-471-54554-6) 976 pp. Surveys of Fisheries Resources Donald R. Gunderson The intensive exploitation of fisheries resources has heightened the reliance in the industry on statistical surveying as a means of monitoring the abundance and age composition of existing fish reserves. Here is the first comprehensive look at the unique challenges and problems of fisheries surveying. Covering everything from survey design, bottom trawl surveys, acoustic surveys, to egg and larval surveys and direct counts, as well as the assumptions and limitations surrounding each method, the book is an exhaustive, yet practical guide to designing accurate, cost-effective fisheries surveys. 1993 (0-471-54735-2) 256 pp. Aquatic Pollution An Introductory Text Second Edition Edward A. Laws Regarded as the most complete introduction available on the subject, Aquatic Pollution details the ecological principles and toxicological fundamentals behind the phenomenon as well as the latest information on the factors affecting our polluted aquatic environment. Featuring case studies and specific examples, the book systematically examines such problems as urban runoff, sewage disposal, thermal pollution, nutrient loading, industrial wastewater discharges, and oil pollution. The new Second Edition includes three new chapters on groundwater pollution. acid rain, and plastics in the sea, as well as updated and expanded information on eutrophication, pathogens in water supplies, radioactive waste disposal, toxic metals, and pesticide use. 1993 (0-471-58883-0) 611 pp.

Dolores Brown followed her new husband to the wild country of the Yukon in 1953. It didn't take long for the one-time secretary to shed her city ways and adapt to the beauty and danger of her new life. This book regales the reade with the sometimes gripping, often humourous tales of her encounters with grizzly bears, Indian guides, client hunters, tourists, and the wilderness itself over two decades. In it she offers an appealing glimpse of a wilderness lifestyle she came to love.

The definitive resource on tunas and billfishes from the world's top authorities. Tunas and billfishes are peak predators of the oceans. Admired by scientists and naturalists for their speed, grace, unique physiology, and diversity, they are important both ecologically and socioeconomically. Vital sources of food and income for many maritime nations, whose fleets of vessels target them with huge purse seines or miles-long lines, these exhilarating fishes are also highly desired and avidly sought by big game fishers across the globe. In Tunas and Billfishes of the World, Bruce Collette, a leading marine ichthyologist and conservationist, and John Graves, an expert on the biology, fisheries, and management of tunas and billfishes, focus on three families of fishes: Scombridae, the mackerels and tunas; Istiophoridae, sailfish and marlins; and Xiphiidae, the Swordfish. Over the course of 61 in-depth species accounts, Collette and Graves * describe what each species looks like and where it lives * include detailed summaries of the fishes' biology-size, food, habitat, reproduction, and early life history * offer current information about fisheries interests and conservation status * provide up-to-date evaluations of the threat status for each species Accompanied by full-color, scientifically accurate illustrations by renowned illustrator Val Kells, along with range maps for each species, this spectacular volume is the essential book on these majestic inhabitants of the sea. Destined to quickly become the standard reference for scientists, students, and naturalists, Tunas and Billfishes of the World will also be prized by all fishers who pursue these species.

A scholarly edition of a work by Izaak Walton. The edition presents an authoritative text, together with an introduction, commentary notes, and scholarly apparatus.

Some time late in the last century, Giles Catchpole and Bryn Parry began to catalogue the varied characters to be found in the shooting field and the results of their researches have been published monthly in The Shooting Gazette. Now, they have loaded up another game bag's worth of sharply written and wittily observed Shooting Types and unleashed them onto an expectant readership through The Second Barrel. Here is an extended line of assorted Guns, good and not so good. Some shoot like gods, quite a lot don't. Some own dogs that retrieve what they have shot and some have dogs who chase what they haven't. There is a supporting cast of spouses, partners and significant others - some being supportive and others less so. And then there are the keepers, beaters, pickers-up, hosts and hostesses without whom the whole undertaking would be utterly impossible and therefore no fun at all. If you shoot or go shooting you will recognise many of the characters in this book. You may remember them with a sigh of pleasure or a gasp of horror, or something in between. Who knows, you might even see aspects of yourself here, or if you can't, the person who gave this book to you probably does.

Mastering Sporting Clays is a perfect guide for all levels of sporting clays shooters, from recreational to competitor. Beginner and novice shooters learn essential first steps, including an easy to remember set of fundamentals and, equally important, a system for recalling those fundamentals. Advanced shooters, including competitive shooters, will benefit from target-specific tactics, allowing them to focus on improving their problem areas.

Running's Strangest Tales is a fascinating collection of weird and wonderful stories from the world of running, from the earliest marathon to today's high-tech, apped-up approach. Within these pages you'll find the bizarre story of the Norwegian footballer forced to miss a crucial World Cup qualifier after colliding with a moose on his morning jog, the American ultra-marathoner who had all his toenails removed to improve his running, and why some runners at the 2015 Tokyo marathon were wearing GPS-enabled, edible bananas, complete with LEDs and incoming Twitter updates. Packed with tales that are so odd you'll hardly believe them, this book makes the perfect gift for all running enthusiasts, from the seasoned marathoner to the park jogger, and those who only ever run a bath. Word count: 45,000

The author's vast falconry experience, combined with that of his fellow contributors, make this volume knowledge-heavy yet light and entertaining in style. It covers all aspects of modern falconry, from the traditions that shaped the sport we know today to its underpinning ethics and philosophy as it continues to evolve in the 21st century. It takes the reader around the globe in search of ultimate quarry species, relating methods and motives through the hawking experiences of those who seek the most challenging flights in their art. Scottish red grouse and Belgian crows; houbara hawking with gyrfalcons and sakers; wood pigeon hawking with peregrines and goshawks; sand grouse, snipe and sage grouse with high-flying falcons: this book gives the falconer pride in the sport's traditions and enthusiasm for the future development and evolution of this living heritage.

RATS AND HOW TO DESTROY THEM By Mark Hovell. Originally published in 1924, this rare early work on rats and their control is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. READ COUNTRY BOOKS has republished it in an affordable, high quality, modern edition using the original text and artwork. The author was an expert and dedicated destroyer of rats who also invented the "Terrier" Death Run Rat Trap and the Blocking Trap. He was persuaded to write this fascinating book after fighting a memorable battle in ridding a friend's house and farm of a long established and numerous rat colony. Utilising his vast knowledge of the Brown and the Black Rat, and his many years of practical experience in their destruction, he penned this, the most comprehensive of all books ever published on this particular subject. Over five hundred pages contain forty eight detailed chapters including: - Habits and Natural History of the Rat. - Traps, Type and Use. - Signals. - Trapping Methods. - Snaring. - Ferrets and Ferreting. - The Mongoose. - Dogs. - Trailing. - Poisoning. - Virus. - Blocking. - Flooding. - Fumigation. - Varnish and Rat Lime Trap. - The Rodier System. How to Deal with Rats in the House, Shop, Outbuildings, Yards, Stables, Cow-Houses, Fowl Pens, Pig Sties, Gardens, Greenhouses, Rivers and Ships. - Rats on Shooting Estates and Farms. - Sewers. - Notes on Plague. - Cancer in Rats. etc etc. There are also chapters on the control of mice, cockroaches and sparrows, with extra detailed chapters on traps and their design. Over fifty text illustrations are included, detailing trap design and usage etc. Also retained are several pages of vintage advertisements for rat traps, poisons, baits, booksetc. This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the countryside, rural conservation, pest control, game keeping etc, with much of the historical information remaining useful and practical today. Many of the earliest sporting books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. READ COUNTRY BOOKS are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Originally published in 1900 by the English gun maker "Cogswell and Harrison Ltd." This book is now very scarce and expensive in its first edition. READ COUNTRY BOOKS have now republished it using the original text and illustrations. One hundred and forty four pages contain nine detailed chapters: How to Shoot. - Gun Fitting. - Modern Guns. - Ammunition. - Grouse Shooting. - Partridge Shooting. - Pheasant Shooting. - Live Pigeon Trap Shooting. - Inanimate Bird Shooting. The contents are extensively illustrated with full page and text drawings and photos. A number of the drawings are by Archibald Thorburn, G. E. Lodge and Henry Stannard. As is to be expected with a famous gun makers publication, there is much technical advise and information, with many of the illustrations being of Cogswell and Harrison products. Also included are fifteen pages of vintage advertisements for guns and shooting equipment. This is a fascinating read for any shooting enthusiast or historian, with much of the information remaining useful and practical today. The chapters on live and clay pigeon shooting are especially informative. 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.

If you are contemplating buying a custom rifle, or if you already own one and wish to make further modifications, then this is the book for you. Bruce Potts takes you on the journey of choosing, building, owning and shooting a custom rifle. The three major types of custom rifle are covered: the factory custom (special or limited editions); the semi-custom (a factory rifle that is customized by the addition of upgraded parts requested by the owner); and the full-blown custom (a complete rifle designed in accordance with the customer's specific requirements and utilizing the very best precision parts and the highest quality materials to produce a unique rifle). On a chapter-by-chapter basis each of the constituent parts of the custom rifle is considered and the reader is made fully aware of all of the choices thst have to be made, and the issues involved. Bruce Potts has been lucky enough to meet some of the best custom rifle makers in Britain and test many of their rifles. This book showcases their work and demonstrates what is available to the Britiish shooter.