On the Spine of Time: An Angler's Love of the Smokies [Hardcover]

Harry Middleton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Standing atop the Great Smoky Mountains with a creel full of joy and heartbreak, the author of The Earth Is Enough casts a Thoreau-like eye at love, flyfishing, geology, the character of mountain folk and trout. Middleton wants readers to experience his Smoky Mountain fishing trips as he does: as metaphors for transcendental faith in nature. A naturalist-romantic, he celebrates the wild mountain trout with a congregation of eccentric highlanders and fishing companions who give colorful witness in clipped Faulknerian speech. Middleton's own style, however, is fluid--his prose occasionally as lithe as Annie Dillard's--carrying forward his tribute while his angst about the future floats overhead like a buzzard on a high thermal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In witty observations, advice, and anecdotes relative to his favorite streams in Colorado and Montana, angler Gierach provides an entertaining follow-up to his likable Sex, Death, and Fly Fishing ( LJ 5/15/90). His loose theme is that fishing is better in remote spots where the aquatic ecosystem has been left alone to reach its full potential. He doesn't tell where these backwoods jewels are, however, but readers who like the outdoors will nonetheless find vicarious enjoyment in his experiences. Illustrations--Gyotaku prints made by the author, which comprise a third of this slim volume--were not seen. Recommended for large public libraries. The Great Smokey Mountains are well known to environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts as a breathtaking natural habitat for precious flora and fauna. Middleton ( The Earth Is Enough: Growing Up in a World of Trout and Old Men , LJ 7/89), developed an appreciation for fishing and scenic wonders growing up in the Ozarks. He discovered and fell in love with the Smokies almost accidentally a decade ago. This book is his unabashed paean to the region and the wise and colorful people he has met there. His experiences have provided him with remarkable sensual, spiritual, and intellectual nourishment, and his lyrical prose is well suited to conveying his wonder. Highly recommended.
- Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 237 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1ST edition (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671691414
• ISBN-13: 978-0671691417
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,974,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I got over my fear of the movie, "Deliverance.", December 27, 2010

By 

foreverteachable - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On the Spine of Time: An Angler's Love of the Smokies (Hardcover)

The book has been an interesting and heartwarming read. The author has detailed the eccentric personalities and kindness of people we often meet in our travels. The book is filled with thoughtful anecdotes, wit, humor, and lots of moments of fishing and friendship. The setting takes place in a world often forgotten, sometimes feared, but always sought out on those days when we yearn for the woods and waters. I initially had anxiety about fishing alone in the Appalachian woods but now I actually want to take a trip there someday. I look back and have always had fond memories of the people I met while fishing so I don't see`why I ever thought I would be bothered if I was fishing near where Deliverance might have been filmed. Either way it is a great book and had me teary-eyed several times with the kindness and friendship found in our fellow men and women. Thanks a bunch for capturing the personalities of the friends you met in your travels and of the streams and brooks you have fished.