Synopses & Reviews
"Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders" collects forty of John Gierach's finest essays on fishing from six of his books. Like all his writing, these essays are seasoned by a keen sense of observation and a deep knowledge and love of fishing lore, leavened by a wonderfully wry sense of humor. Gierach often begins with an observation that soon leads to something below the surface, which he finds and successfully lands. As Gierach says, writing is a lot like fishing.
This is the first anthology of John Gierach's work, a collection that is sure to delight both diehard fans and new readers alike. To enter Gierach's world is to experience the daily wonder, challenge, and occasional absurdity of the fishing life -- from such rituals as the preparation of camp coffee (for best results, serve in a tin cup) to the random, revelatory surprises, such as the flashing beauty of a grayling leaping out of the water. Gierach offers nuggets of practical wisdom on choosing fly patterns and travel companions ("Do not go fishing with someone who is so set on being back at a certain time that he will refuse to invent a case of car trouble to keep you on the water an extra day"), vocabulary ("Expertizing means acting like an expert. Not necessarily being an expert, mind you, but acting like one"), and how to fish metaphorically ("Fly-fishing for trout is poetic; for bass it's somewhat existential; for panfish it's corny, but fun"). In rivers from Colorado to Scotland, whether alone or accompanied by his fishing buddy A.K. ("I enjoy fishing too much to risk my life at it. Death can really cut into your fishing time"), Gierach vividly captures both the subtle rhythms of the angling life and the natural world on which it depends.
In "The Purist," John Gierach says of fly-fishing that it "led you inexorably to one paradox after another. The idea was to catch fish, but the best writers made it evident that it was perfectly okay not to as long as you failed to catch them with the proper grace and style."
Whether he's catching fish or musing on the ones that got away, Gierach is always entertaining and enlightening, writing with his own inimitable blend of grace and style, passion and wit.
Review
Richmond Times-Dispatch He is as sad, irreverent, and wise as they come.
Review
Sports Illustrated If Mark Twain were alive and a modern day fly fisherman, he still would be hard put to top John Gierach in the one liner department.
Review
Steve Raymond The Seattle Times The irreverent, ironic style of outdoors writer John Gierach has made him one of the most popular contemporary writers on fly fishing....wry, witty, and entertaining.
Review
Publishers Weekly (starred) Perhaps the most original, entertaining, and keen outdoors writer working today...A finer collection of the author's work could scarcely be found.
Review
Richmond Times-Dispatch He is as sad, irreverent, and wise as they come.
Review
Sports Illustrated If Mark Twain were alive and a modern day fly fisherman, he still would be hard put to top John Gierach in the one liner department.
Review
Steve Raymond The Seattle Times The irreverent, ironic style of outdoors writer John Gierach has made him one of the most popular contemporary writers on fly fishing....wry, witty, and entertaining.
Review
Publishers Weekly (starred) Perhaps the most original, entertaining, and keen outdoors writer working today...A finer collection of the author's work could scarcely be found.
Synopsis
This collection of essays by one of the foremost writers on fishing was selected by Gierach himself from his bestselling books and from magazines such as Field & Stream and Fly Fisherman.
Synopsis
Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers.
Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders collects forty of John Gierach’s finest essays on fishing from six of his books. Like all his writing, these essays are seasoned by a keen sense of observation and a deep knowledge and love of fishing lore, leavened by a wonderfully wry sense of humor. Gierach often begins with an observation that soon leads to something below the surface, which he finds and successfully lands. As Gierach says, writing is a lot like fishing.
This is the first anthology of John Gierach’s work, a collection that is sure to delight both die-hard fans and new readers alike. To enter Gierach’s world is to experience the daily wonder, challenge, and occasional absurdity of the fishing life—from such rituals as the preparation of camp coffee (for best results, serve in a tin cup) to the random, revelatory surprises, such as the flashing beauty of a grayling leaping out of the water. Whether he’s catching fish or musing on the ones that got away, Gierach is always entertaining and enlightening, writing with his own inimitable blend of grace and style, passion and wit.
Description
America's bestselling master craftsman of top-flight sportswriting, dry wit, and fly-fishing philosophy reels readers in once more with an irresistible collection featuring 40 of his finest essays. Line illustrations.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-58)
About the Author
John Gierach is the author of numerous books on fly-fishing. His work has appeared in Field & Stream, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and Fly Rod & Reel, where he is a regular columnist. He also writes a column for the monthly Redstone Review. He lives in Lyons, Colorado. Visit JohnGierachBooks.com.
Table of Contents
ContentsIntroduction
Trout Bum
Camp Coffee
Kazan River Grayling
Headwaters
The Adams Hatch
Night-fishing
Cutthroat Pilgrimage
On the Road
The View from Rat Lake
The Big Empty River
The Fishing Car
The Purist
The Music of the Spheres
Headhunting
In Camp
Enough Fish
Sex, Death, and Fly-fishing
Sex, Death, and Fly-fishing
Expertizing
I'd Fish Anyone's St. Vrain
Neither Snow, nor Rain, nor Gloom of Night...
Guiding and Being Guided
The Chairman's Bass
Rivers
Wyoming
Even Brook Trout Get the Blues
The Family Pool
Bamboo
Montana
A Year in the Life
Even Brook Trout Get the Blues
Pike
The New Pond
Dances with Trout
Quitting Early
Texas
Scotland
The Storm
Alaska
A Few Days Before Christmas
West
Another Lousy Day in Paradise
Rock Bass
The Kindness of Strangers
Carp
Desperation Creek