posted by admin on Feb 26
Featuring Jeremy Treglown following in the footsteps of V. S. Pritchett in Spain, Tim Parks on the joys and sorrows of commuting from Verona to Milan, and Christopher de Bellaigue tracking down the Armenians in Turkey. Plus Todd McEwen on Cary Grant’s trousers and new fiction by Ann Beattie, Tessa Hadley, and Jim Shepard.
Order Granta Volume 94: On The Road Again (Granta): Ian Jack form Amazon.
posted by admin on Feb 11
From Publishers Weekly
[Signature]Reviewed by Tom BissellIn his fifth book, Tayler returns to the Siberian hinterlands of Russia, the country where he has lived for the past 11 years and of which he wrote in Siberian Dawn. This time, however, he struggles 2,400 miles up the Lena River in an inflatable raft with his guide (and bane) Vadim, an ill-tempered veteran of the Soviet-Afghan war. Tayler follows the likely route that the Cossacks”who embody “the best and worst” of the Russian spirit”took in the 16th century, when they annexed much of Siberia for Ivan the Terrible. It was a hard trip then; it is a hard trip now. Tayler, a freakish polyglot who speaks eight languages, is unique among contemporary travel writers. Despite his fondness for death-prowled lands, he rarely complains and never falls prey to self-aggrandizement. The Lena River, however, very nearly undoes him. After a pleasant spell, the temperature drops, bad weather rolls in and soon Tayler is gagging on clouds of mosquitoes and shooing wasplike horseflies”all of which is grippingly described. “In more than two decades of travel,” he writes, “I had never… hit this nadir of gloom.” Along the way, he and Vadim come ashore to find devastated villages, teenagers dancing away in surreal Arctic discotheques, Soviet irredentists flying the hammer and sickle, drunken Russians and aboriginal people, Baptist missionaries, Yakut shamans (one of whom has his own Web site) and, in what is perhaps the book’s most moving interlude, some of the last of Siberia’s Volga Germans. The many incidental pleasures of this harrowing if sometimes repetitive book are chiefly literary and sociological. Tayler is good at describing the summer Siberian sky (”a glowing canopy of lavender”), and his thoughts on Russian president Vladimir Putin, who is adored by the very people for whom he provides the least, offers the American reader some borscht for thought about the appeal of their own benighted leader. About halfway through, the book catches fire when Tayler’s patience ruptures beneath Vadim’s shower of abuse. Movingly, Tayler and Vadim neither become friends nor grow to “understand” each other.This is a book about survival, and Tayler’s observations are as bracing, and sometimes shocking, as a lungful of Arctic air: “Had any other people on earth,” he writes of the Russians, “done so much to destroy itself?” Tayler’s Siberia is unremittingly depressing, and the book concludes with little hope for its people or its culture. As a sympathetic but clear-eyed portrait of an unhappy but beautiful land, River of No Reprieve will be a difficult book to surpass. (July 11)Tom Bissell is the author of Chasing the Sea and God Lives in St. Petersburg. His new book, The Father of All Things, will be published early next year.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
During the summer of 2004, Tayler traveled in a custom-built raft 2,400 miles down the Lena River in eastern Siberia from near Lake Baikal to Tiksi on the Arctic Ocean. The voyage took almost two months and was what Tayler called a partial re-creation of the Cossack journeys that delineated Russia’s eastern borders and annexed Siberia to European Russia in the seventeenth century. The boat was constructed to carry enough fuel to get them to the city of Yakutsk, about halfway along the route. They were armed to protect themselves from “potentially desperate villagers and Siberian bears.” At one point the temperature soared to 114 and gales battered their tents, marooning them on an island. Tayler, the author of five other books, has spent the last 13 years in Russia and is married to a Russian, and he is the Moscow correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly. Thanks to Tayler’s keen powers of observation, readers will relish this trip of high adventure. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
posted by admin on Jan 17
Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to St Petersburg, the ultimate guide
to this beautiful city. The full-colour section introduces St Petersburg’s highlights, from world-class ballet and opera at the Mariinskiy Theatre to the gilded mosaics of the Church of the Saviour on the Blood. The guide takes a detailed look at Russian history, literature and cultural life with expert background on everything from the superlative art collection of the Hermitage and the city’s spectacular Imperial palaces to snowmobiling in Karelia. There are plenty of practical tips and information on all the best accommodation, transportation and restaurants and lively reviews of hundreds of shops, bars and clubs. Discover every corner of St. Petersburg with the clearest maps of any guide.
About the Author
Dan Richardson has been writing for Rough Guides since 1984. He is author of the Rough Guides to Moscow, St Petersburg and co-author of the Rough Guides to Budapest and Bulgaria. Dan has also written travel and non-travel articles for the Guardian, Indepe
Order The Rough Guide to St. Petersburg 6 (Rough Guide Travel Guides): Dan Richardson form Amazon.
posted by admin on Jan 17
Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to St Petersburg, the ultimate guide
to this beautiful city. The full-colour section introduces St Petersburg’s highlights, from world-class ballet and opera at the Mariinskiy Theatre to the gilded mosaics of the Church of the Saviour on the Blood. The guide takes a detailed look at Russian history, literature and cultural life with expert background on everything from the superlative art collection of the Hermitage and the city’s spectacular Imperial palaces to snowmobiling in Karelia. There are plenty of practical tips and information on all the best accommodation, transportation and restaurants and lively reviews of hundreds of shops, bars and clubs. Discover every corner of St. Petersburg with the clearest maps of any guide.
About the Author
Dan Richardson has been writing for Rough Guides since 1984. He is author of the Rough Guides to Moscow, St Petersburg and co-author of the Rough Guides to Budapest and Bulgaria. Dan has also written travel and non-travel articles for the Guardian, Indepe
Order The Rough Guide to St. Petersburg 6 (Rough Guide Travel Guides): Dan Richardson form Amazon.
posted by admin on Jan 14
Review
A book about fly fishing in Alaska demands bright, bold strokes. Top Water has captured the spectacle. — Fish & Fly, Thomas Pero, Editor & Publisher, November 2004
If you can’t make the trip [to Alaska], here’s the next best thing. — Playboy, 1 March 2005
It’s the best blend of lyrical writing, gorgeous photography and technical knowledge that I’ve seen on the Great Land. — Outdoor Life, Jerry Gibbs, Fishing Editor, November 2004
Should be in every serious angler’s library. — Mel Krieger, Founder of Club Pacific, November 2004
The most in-depth treatment available on [fishing] the Last Frontier. It belongs on the shelf of everyone who fishes Alaska. — Fly Fisherman, Will Rice, 1 March 2005
A complete species-by-species guide to the ultimate fishing destination.
Top Water is a fishing book as immense in scope as the state it describes. Each of the ten major gamefish species is covered in chapters that give species biology and life history and then provide fishing information such as where to look for that fish, timing, tactics, fly theory, and gear requirements. From steelhead to cohos and sockeyes, from giant kings to feisty pinks, from vibrant rainbows to surprise grayling, char and lake trout, each chapter finishes with a thorough discussion of the species’ range in Alaska with highlights on those rivers and drainages that will interest fly fishers.
Alaska is a dream fishing destination for anglers from around the world. Top Water does justice to those fantasies with more than 100 beautiful and informative full-color photographs. You’ll see the natural beauty of the venues these fish inhabit as well as the details of what each species looks like, what kind of tackle you’ll need, and what flies will be most effective. Full color maps offer quick reference for where to look for each species.
Top Water is more than a coffee table book; it’s a comprehensive and definitive reference work; it’s an armchair travelogue and a guidebook all in one. This guide to the fabled state of Alaska should be in every angling book outlet and part of every angling collection wherever that may be. Full-color throughout, 15 maps.
Order Top Water: Fly-Fishing Alaska, the Last Frontier: Troy Letherman, Tony Weaver form Amazon.
posted by admin on Jan 14
The false albacore is a strong and lightning-fast member of the tuna family that has been discovered by the saltwater fly-fishing world as one of the most challenging species to target. These fish are so fast and so strong for their weight that they are known to break fishermen’s hearts along with their expensive fly rods. False Albacore covers the life history, biology, migratory patterns, and feeding habits of this great fish, as well as the tackle and techniques that are necessary to catch them. These fast-moving beauties migrate down the eastern coastline from Massachusetts to Florida each fall. The recognized mecca for pursuing them is North Carolina, where the greatest fly fishermen from around the world congregate to take part in the fall blitz. Tom Gilmore has spent years learning their tricks, as well as those of the guides that pursue them. He has uncovered hot spots ranging from Massachusetts to as yet undiscovered waters in Florida. False Albacore is the first and only book dedicated exclusively to the pursuit of this exciting species.
About the Author
Tom Gilmore is president and CEO of the New Jersey Audubon Society. He is the past president and general manager of the Philadelphia Zoological Society. He is now an avid and relentless pursuer of false albacore with a fly rod. He lives in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.
Order False Albacore: A Comprehensive Guide to Fly Fishing’s Hottest Fish: Tom Gilmore form Amazon.
posted by admin on Jan 14
The ultimate guidebook to catching bluefin, yellowfin, and blackfin tuna, in all the hottest fishing spots.
Perhaps the last great frontier of fly fishing is the catching of big, strong, fast offshore tuna species on a fly rod. These fish were the targets of such trophy fishermen as Zane Gray and were thought to be just too large to be handled on fly-fishing gear. That changed during the 1990s as anglers began to develop ways of targeting these fish when they were of a size that could be handled on fly tackle and these efforts were helped along with the development of a new generation of heavy-duty fly gear.
Now, Tom Gilmore takes the reader into this exciting, new world. Gilmore explains the habits and behavior of the different species of tuna and identifies the areas where these fish can be found. He covers tackle, tactics, and important flies and knots to hold these blue-water beasts. 8 color pages, 40 black & white photographs, 10 maps, index.
About the Author
Tom Gilmore is the author of False Albacore (Countryman). He is the former Vice President and General Manager of the Philadelphia Zoo and has been President of the New Jersey Audubon Society for 24 years. He lives in Franklin Lakes, NJ.
posted by admin on Jan 10
A definitive reference work for cracking the code on fly fishing east of the Mississippi River.
This book begins with a detailed section on identifying hatches that will enable anglers to know what they’re looking at when they see those bugs on the water. Part II of the book is a complete guide on when and where the major hatches occur. You’ll learn about everything from the famous Hex hatch in Michigan to the Hendrickson hatch on the Housatonic. Fuller conveys this detail in charts and in discussion. Finally, Part III is a guide to the flies to use in fishing these hatches—traditional imitations, regional variations, and advice on designing new flies. Every fly angler will benefit from this addition to their arsenal. 50 black and white photos, 8 color pages, 10 maps, index.
About the Author
Tom Fuller is the author of Underwater Flies for Trout (Countryman, 2004) and Trout Streams of Southern New England, as well as numerous articles for all the major fishing magazines. He is a regional columnist for Outdoor Life. Fuller lives in Belchertown, Massachusetts.
posted by admin on Jan 9
Review
Charlie Meck knows more about American hatches than any other writer. — John Randolph, editor, Fly Fisherman magazine
The essence of trout fishing with a fly is understanding hatches. That quest for understanding has spawned an entire literature of fly fishing. Meck’s genius is to show the angler that the understanding we need to catch fish is not the memorization of hundreds of bugs and their Latin names. The key to successful fishing is using the right fly at the right time (”matching the hatch”). The Hatches Made Simple for the first time identifies the broad patterns by which hatches happen. For example, light tan colored mayflies tend to hatch at certain times, and drab gray mayflies hatch at other times. Instead of memorizing all the individual insects, the angler just needs to learn the timing of the patterns to these hatches. Armed with a knowledge of those patterns, matching the hatch becomes an entirely new game. More knowledge equals more fish.
posted by admin on Dec 8
Fishermen brag about the biggest trout. They talk about the spookiest bonefish. They speak in high excitement of the speed of a false albacore. But the permit has taunted more fishermen than all of these fish and has maintained a reputation for being truly impossible to catch. Whole clubs of frustrated permit pursuers have been created. Stories abound of fishermen who have fished for years before catching their first permit. Now, Jack Samson, editor of “Field and Stream” begins to turn the tide. Jack has pursued permit around the world and has gone further than any other writer in unlocking the mysteries of this fabled fish. “Fly Fishing for Permit” is his attempt to provide a complete guide to all aspects of permit fishing. The book provides information on equipment you will need and thorough instruction on how to use it and detailed information with maps for fishing all the famous permit areas of the world - Mexico’s Ascension Bay, the Florida Keys, Belize and many more. Finally Samson has compiled an extensive selection of photographs and tying recipes of the most effective flies. In addition there is a bonus appendix of permit fishing stories from several of the most famous permit fishermen in the world, including Gordie Hill, Winston Moore and more.
About the Author
Jack Samson was editor of Field and Stream for fifteen years—until his permit addiction got the best of him. He now travels the world in pursuit of this fish. Samson is the author of several books, including Permit on a Fly. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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