The Old Man and the Boy [Hardcover]

Robert Ruark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1990

This classic captures the endearing relationship between a man and his grandson as they fish and hunt the lakes and woods of North Carolina. All the while the Old Man acts as teacher and guide, passing on his wisdom and life experiences to the boy, who listens in rapt fascination.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Filled with homespun humor and salty common sense. This is a book to be savored slowly, and kept and cherished."-Herald Tribune

"Written with great joy . . . the book is a delight to read."-Library Journal

From the Publisher

7 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (December 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805002391
• ISBN-13: 978-0805002393
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Old Man and the Boy, January 12, 2000

By 

Mike DiSalvo - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Old Man and the Boy (Paperback)

Ruark's book conjures up memories of my own Old Man. The same guidelines on handling guns and how to shoot are still valid today. Some of the more important parts of this book deal with just going hunting, fishing , etc. not with the results of the day, but why we go do these things. Learn why fishing isn't about catching fish. Learn why some dogs are made to hunt and some aren't. The last chapter "All He Left Me Was The World", is not to be read by the tenderhearted. It strikes a chord with any of us who have lost our Old Man. I too went hunting the day of the Old Man's funeral, I know that's what he would have wanted, and so does Ruark.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 6 stars, July 31, 2004

By 

Ryan McNabb (Ooltewah, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Old Man and the Boy (Hardcover)

This book is glimpse back into an America that is rapidly vanishing. Robert Ruark can rightly be considered the dean of serious sporting writers. Gene Hill is very good, but only wrote short pieces. Hemingway was vaster, but his angst and internal gordian knot muddy the clear waters. Ruark walks the top rail of the fence: you get the very best of it all. And nowhere does he do it better than in his two "Old Man and the Boy" collections. Others here have said it, but there are stories here that will break your heart clean in two with their aching beauty, their crystal clear images, the smells and tastes of a life spent in rural North Carolina before television. My personal favorite is "September Song", which is, along with "The Road to Tinkhamtown", one of the two or three finest pieces of American sporting literature ever put down. Any appreciation for American sporting literature must begin with Ruark, and any study of Ruark must begin with the Old Man. Without him, you'll never grasp "Horn of the Hunter", or even "Uhuru" or "Something of Value". The Old Man is the key to all the locks. Favorite quote: "Only hunting and mountain climbing are sports. The rest are just games."

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A timeless book for the entire family to cherish, July 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Old Man and the Boy (Paperback)

My husband received this book for a gift right after we married. I had very little understanding of a real hunter and how holidays and seasons joyfully dictated whether he would be on a dove shoot or freezing cold in a duck blind. He and I read this book countless times and always shed a few tears. Ruark's stories and the sage advise of the old man made this young bride appreciate the land and to love and respect a fine bird dog and the desire to make a bird, fish or venison dinner into a Southern culinary delight. His description of Miss Lottie and her fruitcakes and hams at Christmas are so beautifuly written, that without a doubt,you would give it all up to spend one Christmans with the boy,the old man, and Miss Lottie! A hunter's dream of a way of life.