There are more hunting and fishing books available today than ever before. Publishers such as Lyons, Stackpole, Stoeger, Countryman Press, Krause, Creative Publishing, Burford, Wilderness and others have leapt into the outdoors genre, following a 1970s burst of activity. Those are the specialty houses, although the big book publishers also print an outdoor tome now and again.
Some books are good and others are not-so-good. The not-so-good ones are those that rehash basic stuff; some dairies/experiences of fishing/hunting trips (although those by John Gierach or Nick Lyons are great).
Equally disappointing are those printed in Europe and describing hunting for red deer, fishing for rudd, tench and such – stuff we don?t have here. Others are egocentric vanity descriptions of fishing/hunting prowess.
I like outdoor books and have a few lying around. (OK, ok, I have about 3,000 – it?s a start.). For me, old books are as good as new books and offer historical perspectives on the sport or equipment. Often a new super Whiz-Bang lure or “unique” rifle sling currently hyped by panting and enthusiastic PR types was first developed 75 years ago and later forgotten.
Fortunately, there are new books that are full of good information on a wide range of subjects. You can find books on trolling, shotgun skills, surf fishing, handloading, deer hunting, bass tactics, deer stalking, quail hunting, fishing knots, trout nymph fishing, trout dry fly fishing, trout streamer fishing, trout stream tactics (lots on trout), pheasant hunting, waterfowl hunting, decoys, decoy carving, decoy rigs (lots on decoys), lure choices and rigging, traditional archery skills, fly tying, tying dry flies, tying wet flies, tying nymphs (lots on fly tying), muzzleloading for deer/turkey, checkering gunstocks, firearm-company histories, carp fishing – you name it.
Both Stackpole and Stoeger are big on technical gun/hunting/handloading/ballistics books; other publishers are great on general hunting/fishing subjects.
Excellent books for collectors and those interested in a basic outdoor library can be found in old books not available in new-book stores. Time spent with these older books can foster an appreciation of where we are, where we have come from and where we are going in outdoor sports and conservation.
For old books, check the specialty catalogs, such as those by Judith Bowman Books (98 Pound Ridge Road, Bedford, NY 10506 914-234-7543) or Ken Callahan (P.O. Box 505, Peterborough, NH 03458 603-924-3726).
Or try the Yellow Pages for local used book stores. I found my copy of Heaven Has Claws by Adrian Conan Doyle (about big game fishing off the African coast) in a dark and dusty Baltimore used-book store. It was in the religious section.
My copy of the classic Havilah Babcock hunting book – My Health Is Better In November – was discovered on another trip to another shop. It was in the medical/health section.
Go figure. It doesn?t make sense, but it for a harried book dealer, I guess it?s the best that they can do.
C. Boyd Pfeiffer is an internationally known sportsman and award-winning writer on fishing, hunting, and the outdoors, and is currently working on his 25th book. He can be reached at [email protected].
