Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/116174
O a chronicle of family, faith and the fullness of life that those of us who cherish the long rod and whistling line. Altizer's book is one to be sampled and savored, bit by bit, chapter by chapter, and if you aren't moved by some of his thoughts and experiences, particularly those involving his deceased father, I have a simple, straightforward suggestion for you. Close the book and schedule the first available appointment with a psychiatrist – you have something seriously amiss in your soul. Immersion in Altizer's fine book reminded me of two other recently published books that have crossed my desk. The first is a 20th anniversary edition of Nick Lyons' Spring Creek, replete with a new preface by the man who must be reckoned as the dean of today's fly-fishing writers. Magical and mystical, this work is, at its heart, a tale of escape – a month of simplicity and soul-soothing time astream described in Nick's enviable way with words and an uncanny knack for capturing the essence of a sport he dearly loves. Strikingly different in nature, but of immense importance to those who find time spent on the tying bench before a vise both a comfort and another facet of the totality of the fly-fishing experience, is Eric Leiser's The Book of Fly Patterns. It is a massive book, with hundreds upon hundreds of illustrations, "recipes" for more than a thousand flies, along with a glossary, bibliography, contact information for suppliers of fly-tying materials, list of sporting booksellers (here there are shortcomings, with two of the operations listed having long since ceased to be in business because of the deaths of their proprietors), an alphabetized listing of materials used in fly tying, and a most useful ribbon marker to let you keep your place. This work, as well as the reprint of Nick Lyons' Spring Creek, comes from Skyhorse Publishing (www.skyhorsepublishing.com). S P O R T I N G C 160 L A S S I n the turkey side of the equation, I'm going to venture into quicksand and mention a book of my own, noting as I do so that this magazine's publisher insisted it be done. At the outset I noted that Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranked as one of my two most important products from decades of scribbling on the outdoor experience. The other is the recently published Remembering the Greats: Profiles of Turkey Hunting's Old Masters. Firmly committed to the idea that turkey hunting's past serves as a looking glass into the sport's future, I have been an avid (some might say addicted) student of its lure and lore since that magic morning, decades ago, which found me standing mesmerized in a moment of bittersweetness while admiring my first gobbler. Since that occasion, mine has been an unending quest not only for turkeys but for information on turkey hunting's rich and varied past. My book looks into the lives of 27 icons from turkey hunting's past, men whom old-timers are wont to describe as "true turkey men." These talented men, all avid hunters, include call-makers, authors of articles and books, seminar speakers, television personalities, biologists and conservationists. Two common threads typify every man profiled – from C. L. Jordan through household names such as Neil Cost, Ben Lee, M. L. Lynch and Tom Turpin down to "greats" lost within the last few years such as Kenny Morgan and Dick Kirby. Each man was a fascinating character with a consuming love of the wild turkey. This book, as is the case with Altizer's, is available through www.sportingclassics.com, or you can order through my website, www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com. C S