♦ DVD
A WALK FOR SUNSHINE APPALACHIAN TRAIL SHOW
By Jeff Alt, Dreams Shared Publications LLC, P.O. Box 18188, Cincinnati, OH 45218, www.dspublications.com, DVD, 67 minutes, $19.95.
This DVD is a companion to the newest version of Alt’s book, the critically-acclaimed A Walk for Sunshine. It features personal narration, slides and music based on stories of Alt’s 2,000 mile journey along the Appalachian Trail. Alt dedicated the hike to his brother who has cerebral palsy. Bonus features include Alt’s gear list, a guide for beginning hikers, and tips for hiking with children. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of this title benefit the nonprofit Sunshine Inc. to help enhance the lives of people with disabilities.
♦ BOOKS
BACKYARD DEER HUNTING: CONVERTING DEER TO DINNER FOR PENNIES PER POUND
By Wm. Hovey Smith, AuthorHouse Publishing, 1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403, http://www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=61333, softcover, 265 pp., $19.95.
This one-volume work takes the novice hunter and wild-game cook through all the steps necessary to find deer and other game and put it on the dinner table as inexpensively as possible. Backyard Deer Hunting is based on the author’s experience supporting a family while under the pressure of large financial obligations. The book starts with a description of how and where to find deer and takes the reader all the way through the hunting process, concluding with 50 kitchen-tested recipes ranging from country-fried deer steak to hunter’s ratatouille. A collection of 100 illustrations and a handful of fowl, vegetable and dessert dishes complete the book.
TURKEY CALLS AND CALLING
By Steve Hickoff, Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Rd. Mechanicsburg, PA 17055, www.stackpolebooks.com, softcover,160 pp., $22.95.
From traditional turkey calls to the newest models, Hickoff gives tips and tactics for beginner and veteran turkey callers alike. He covers the how, when, where and why of turkey calls in addition to expounding on different types of calls, competition calling, caring for calls and finding callmakers.
A MAINE DEER HUNTER’S LOG BOOK
By V. Paul Reynolds, Maine Outdoor Publications, 300 Sawyer Rd., Hampden, ME 04444, softcover, 106 pp., $14.95.
Reynolds, a self-described diehard white-tailed deer hunter, presents the knowledge he’s gleaned from more than 50 years spent in deer country. This colorfully-illustrated how-to manual covers deer-hunting basics, the best deer-hunting guns, buck fever, scent control, camp cookery and the “great rut debate.” Reynolds’ keen observational skills extend beyond deer; this book is also about the hunters themselves, the unforgettable characters who stoke the stoves in Maine deer camps.
CHANGING PATHS: TRAVELS AND MEDITATIONS IN ALASKA’S ARCTIC WILDERNESS
By Bill Sherwonit, University of Alaska Press, P.O. Box 756240, Fairbanks, AK 99775, www.uaf.edu/uapress/book/, softcover, 212 pp., $21.95.
Framed by the two-week solo trek that Bill Sherwonit took through Alaska’s northernmost mountain chain at age 50, Changing Paths explores the author’s long-running and life-changing relationship with the Central Brooks Range, while also considering the critical importance of wilderness – and, more generally, wild nature – in our culture today.
The Hunt: Challenge and Reward
By John G. Whinery, Hawthorne Publishing, Amarillo, Texas, 2009, jgwhin@cox-internet.com, 268 pp., hardcover.
Drawing from the experience of 40 years hunting and 20 years writing about it, Whinery has collected more than three dozen stories and verses in his most recent self-published book. “This story telling came as a late gift,” the author says. “Immense pleasure in recalling the hunts, people, animals and situations has come as a bonus to the life-enriching pastime of hunting. Added to pleasure, the work of writing is a sort of giving back.”
FROM BOYS TO MEN OF HEART: HUNTING AS A RITE OF PASSAGE
By Randall Eaton, Ph.D., OWLink media, 210 SE Cedar Hill Lane, Shelton, WA 98584, www.owlinkmedia.com, softcover, 336 pp., $24.95.
Throughout his 35 years of studying hunting, Eaton has strived to answer several questions based on man’s relationship to hunting. Is it good for kids? Why do they do it? Does it encourage violence or does it teach empathy and compassion? The book is based on what Eaton, a behavioral scientist with an international reputation for wildlife conservation, has found. He conducted thousands of questionnaire surveys on mature hunters and interviewed leading authorities in several fields who corroborate his research. Eaton presents compelling evidence that hunting is a rite of passage that teaches boys how to become compassionate, virtuous and responsible adults who respect life and defend nature.
STANLEY MELTZOFF – PICTURE MAKER
By Stanley Meltzoff and Mike Rivkin, Silverfish Press, P.O. Box 12452, La Jolla, CA 92039, www.silverfishpress.com, hardcover, 182 pp.
The first comprehensive book on the life of acclaimed artist Stanley Meltoff has finally gone to print. It was nearly finished when Meltzoff, who is considered to be the first artist to realistically portray all of the major game fish species in their native habitat, passed away in 2006 at the age of 89. Angler and International Game Fishing Association historian Mike Rivkin has completed the job in a lush oversized format. The deluxe edition ($89) is limited to 500 copies and includes a signed-and-numbered bookplate, vintage Meltzoff poster, and game fish art catalogue from the early 1980s. An un-numbered trade edition ($50) will also be available.
SECRETS FROM FLORIDA’S MASTER ANGLERS
By Ron Presley, University Press of Florida, 15 Northwest 15 St., Gainesville, Fl 32611-2079, www.upf.com, softcover, 224pp., $24.95.
Professional fishing guide Ron Presley interviewed 20 of Florida’s top charter boat captains to create a broad and thorough manual of fishing in the Sunshine State. He helps anglers with the choices that determine their success including picking the right gear, bait and tackle, finding good fishing spots, and hiring an experienced guide if so desired. He also dives into the technical aspects of fishing from casting to landing a fish. The book’s 65 images and illustrations contribute to a well-rounded manual that boosts the confidence of both visitor and native anglers.
THE GREAT CHAIN OF LIFE
By Joseph Wood Krutch, University of Iowa Press, 100 Kuhl House, Iowa City, IA 52242, www.uiowapress.org, softcover, 246 pp., $19.95.
Krutch, a late teacher, artist and naturalist, presents a powerful and thought-provoking argument that a force beyond survival itself drives evolution. Originally published in 1956, the book was Krutch’s reaction to the shortfalls of Darwinism. He employed the careful observation of a naturalist and the contemplative faculties of a philosopher to suggest that the pursuit of joy – not the instinctual struggle for survival alone – explains the evolution of awareness and consciousness in the natural world.
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