An Honest Angler: The Best of Sparse Grey Hackle [Hardcover]

Patricia M. Sherwood (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

A treasury of essays, columns, articles, and letters from an icon of fly fishing's golden age.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sparse Grey Hackle is a legendary member of the fly-fishing literati, although he'd be the first to resign from anything that sounded as pretentious as "literati." For years his articles, writing he referred to with a usual dollop of self-deprecation as "huntin', shootin', fishin'" columns, delighted readers of outdoors magazines. Although an outdoorsman in the general sense, Sparse was, above all, an angler of the fly, plying his love on the famed trout streams of the Catskills. An Honest Angler collects many of these pieces, reflecting the author's generous wit and experience, along with correspondence to noted fly-fishers. His writing, like a smooth cast, deftly covers a variety of productive "waters," moving from the tall tales of fishermen to the finer points of presenting a particular dry fly to a particularly fussy trout. Those already familiar with the work of Sparse Grey Hackle will welcome this new edition of previously uncollected material; those new to Sparse and his place in the golden age of American fly-fishing are in for a pleasant surprise.

From Publishers Weekly

Hackle was the pen name of Alfred W. Miller (1892-1983), an angler whose essays and articles appeared in many publications for a good part of this century. This collection of his magazine articles, newspaper columns and letters to friends has been put together by his daughter. He is disarmingly candid about why anglers fish: "Your typical fisherman is... taking refuge from the realities of life." He knows the history of fly-fishing, the rods, the gear (there's a delightful history of waders) and the companions one is likely to encounter. In a way it's unfortunate that Miller's reputation rests so heavily on his pieces about fishing, for he is a charming essayist on a number of quite unrelated subjects and an entertaining storyteller as well. His tales of his career in the Army chasing Pancho Villa in Texas and Mexico are captivating, as are his recollections of the Ambulance Service in France during WWI. Those who are skeptical about Miller's way with a phrase will be won over by several columns he wrote for the vacationing Red Smith, the dean of sportswriters of his time and an exceedingly tough judge of literary style.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558216243
• ISBN-13: 978-1558216242
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,878,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Observations from one of the Orginial fly fishing greats!, August 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: An Honest Angler: The Best of Sparse Grey Hackle (Hardcover)

Funny, thoughtful, honest......a great compilation of short stories from one of the orginial sport/fly fishermen (and a superb writer) of the rivers!! Do not miss it!!