The Art of the Canoe with Joe Seliga [Hardcover]

Jerry Stelmok (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

Joe Seliga has been hand building canvas-on-wood canoes in his Ely, Minnesota, workshop for more than 60 years. Seliga's work is considered the best-of-the-best among canoe aficionados and wooden boat builders alike. This all-color celebration of hand craftsmanship and rustic elegance details from start-to-finish the construction of Seliga's canoes, from selecting the right woods through the project's inaugural launch. Within these pages the legacy of this master craftsman is passed on for all to enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerry Stelmok is a native and lifelong resident of Maine. He successfully escaped life as a teacher in the early 1970s when he moved with his growing family to West Quoddy Head, the easternmost point in the United States, to learn wooden-boat building. The move led to the acquisition of The Island Falls Canoe Company and more than a quarter-century of crafting wood-and-canvas canoes based on the designs of early builder E. M. White. Stelmok has authored several books on wood-and-canvas canoes, including The Art of the Canoe with Joe Seliga (MBI, 2002) and Not Your Average Bear & Other Maine Stories (Tilbury House, 2007). He has a son and two daughters, now adults, and lives in Atkinson, Maine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760312419
• ISBN-13: 978-0760312414
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Appreciation for the Work Behind the Beauty, March 24, 2005

By 

Casey Crookston "Casey Crookston" (St. Cloud, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of the Canoe with Joe Seliga (Hardcover)

I stopped by Joe's house in Ely to have him autograph my copy. We had never met before but he greeted me warmly, offered me cookies and a drink, showed me his shop, and added me to his list of people who want a canoe. This man is a national treasure and his canoes will be timeless heirlooms.

This book goes into great detail on how he crafts each of his beautiful, rustic, canvas-covered wooden canoes by hand and has given me a bold appreciation for how much work goes into just one canoe. I have no idea how he ever made a living charging only a couple thousand per canoe.

The author Jerry Stelmok did a fine job of breaking a complicated process down into simple text that anyone can enjoy. And National Geographic photographer Deborah Sussex filled the book with enticing photos.

The book sits on my office wall along with other non-fictional works about the woods of Northern Minnesota, and this one by far gets the most attention. It's a wonderful addition to anyone's library.

Enjoy!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great look at one of the last masters of an-almost lost art, February 4, 2010

By 

M. Roberts "eat,paddle, love" (second cubicle on the left..) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of the Canoe with Joe Seliga (Hardcover)

I found this book in the library and immediately fell in love with this man's passion for his life's work. As an owner of a Cedar/Canvas canoe (not a Seliga, unfortunately) I know the connection that he feels with creating them...more than just a how-to about old canoe construction techniques, it's also a "Why I bother doing" book.
RIP Joe...may you always find in Heaven a calm lake to paddle and a flat portage to carry.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Okay, so I'm not really a kid., June 11, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Art of the Canoe with Joe Seliga (Hardcover)

As a camper at Camp Widjwagan (a YMCA camp outside of Ely, Minnesota) who has used Joe Seliga's canoes many times, I have to say that this is an excellent source of information about canoe making. He was a skilled artist who made magnificent canoes, and I'm honored to say I have used one of his own. So, thank you, Joe Seliga.