Pages

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

My New Fly Fishing Library

I'm indebted to http://singlebarbed.com/ for this heads up. He alerts his readers to the existence of http://www.archive.org/, an amazing site which, as its name declares, is archiving vast amounts of every conceivable kind of media.
I'm an old book lover. That is, I love old books (although both statements are true.) This site has a treasure trove of old books on every topic imaginable.
I searched "fly fishing" and found the library of my dreams. It includes many classics but also little known and overlooked volumes that, for me, are the real gems.
For example, there's Fly Fishing in Wonderland, from 1858, http://www.archive.org/details/flyfishinginwond00barn by Orange Perry Barnes, who calls himself Klahowya.
These pictures don't come close to doing it justice, but you can get a taste of the wonderful old graphics and illustrations.
This book reveals the Yellowstone/Teton country before the internal combustion engine and breathable waders. It also reveals that some things stay the same: he touts his own fly, The Pitcher Fly, and even includes testimonials to its killing power.
I know what I'll be doing on some of these long, cold nights. I'll open up an old book and read, read, read.

No comments:

Post a Comment