Hunting, Fishing and Camping [Hardcover]

L. Bean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1993

In 1942, L.L. Bean, founder of the giant catalog company, wrote and published this guide. The author gives practical advice on hunting, fishing, and camping based on his many years as a celebrated outdoorsman.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 104 pages
• Publisher: Applewood Books (May 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557092060
• ISBN-13: 978-1557092069
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #484,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars "Legendary Nostalgia", June 30, 2011

By 

Christian Potholm (US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hunting, Fishing and Camping (Paperback)

There is no other company which so embodies Maine and the Maine experience than the legendary L. L. Bean. Part of its appeal over the years, of course, has been the range and quality of its products, the world wide reach of its many catalogues and the strength of its customer satisfaction. But another vital element is its implied and real connection with the Great North Woods, the "Wild, Wild East" and frontier setting of Maine. At the heart of both, lies the life and almost mythic life of its founder, Leon L. Bean. Down East character, savvy entrepreneur and clever merchandiser whose true heart was in the woods and on the waters of his beloved state, L. L. tested many of the products in the wild and invented some of them, including the iconic Maine hunting shoe.

He was always accessible to his customers and willing, even anxious, to give his option of both the products and how to hunt and fish. "Hunting, Fishing and Camping" is his 1942 how-to book, covering such topics as how to hunt deer, moose and black bear, how to use a compass, how to fish for white perch and black bass as well as trout, how to set up a camp, choose a tent and even how to prevent forest fires. Short (100 pages), pithy and practical, the volume is lavishly illustrated and makes a good companion on any camping or fishing trip. Although one can wish for more personal anecdotes from the author, there is a lot of useful advice (some of it obviously overridden by new products and accumulated knowledge over the last 70 years) and interesting material. There is also a well-deserved paean to Maine Governor Percival Baxter, creator of Baxter State Park.

But perhaps the most important draw of this work is the delightful dose of nostalgia which reading the book produces for one is instantly immersed in an older, simpler age with clear instructions about life in the out of doors. There is also some tart but good advice for one and all, such as "When on your hunting trips do not try to belittle the back woods folk even though you are a college man and your home in a big city."

I remember going to LL Bean's Freeport store as a kid when we came to Maine for Christmas. What an exciting time for a young boy to bring his yearly savings to the store and listen to hunters and trappers and Maine guides as they spun tales to impress one and all and I remember buying a wide range of goods - slingshots, leg traps and hunting knives, all seemingly radiating psychic power from the Maine woods.

Only once did L. L. let me down in my youthful exuberance. One year I bought a "Bean's Special Machete" - after being told it was a most useful tool in the Maine woods. To this day, some 50 years later, after spending many, many hours afield, I have yet to ever encounter anyone in those woods with such a weapon/tool. Even more off-putting was finding the same item for sale in the Army-Navy surplus store in New London when I returned home, and at a lower price to boot.

Still, there must have been some magic in that old showroom because I eventually became a Registered Maine Guide myself, although by the time I had achieved this lofty childhood goal, the store had greatly expanded and the vast displays of women's clothing and extra large men's pants, bird watching and cross country ski equipment seem to have crowded out the guide's and trapper's corner. Sic semper transit Gloria.