Shop top categories that ship internationally
Buy used:
$20.36
Delivery January 20 - February 5
Or fastest delivery January 17 - 29
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by RENGO LLC
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: No highlighting or underlining. Minor shelf wear, but in very good overall condition. Eligible for Amazon Prime shipping and ships directly from Amazon.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

David Lynch
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity Paperback – Deckle Edge, December 27, 2007

by David Lynch (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,722 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
View Kindle Edition
In this "unexpected delight,"* filmmaker David Lynch describes his personal methods of capturing and working with ideas, and the immense creative benefits he has experienced from the practice of meditation.

Now in a beautiful paperback edition, David Lynch's Catching the Big Fish provides a rare window into the internationally acclaimed filmmaker's methods as an artist, his personal working style, and the immense creative benefits he has experienced from the practice of meditation.

Catching the Big Fish comes as a revelation to the legion of fans who have longed to better understand Lynch's personal vision. And it is equally compelling to those who wonder how they can nurture their own creativity.

Catching Ideas

Ideas are like fish.

If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper.

Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They're huge and abstract. And they're very beautiful.

I look for a certain kind of fish that is important to me, one that can translate to cinema. But there are all kinds of fish swimming down there. There are fish for business, fish for sports. There are fish for everything.

Everything, anything that is a thing, comes up from the deepest level. Modern physics calls that level the Unified Field. The more your consciousness-your awareness-is expanded, the deeper you go toward this source, and the bigger the fish you can catch.

--from Catching the Big Fish
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    192 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    TarcherPerigee
  4. Publication date
    December 27, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    7 x 0.5 x 7 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1585426121
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1585426126
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,722 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They appreciate the profound insights into Lynch's creative process and life. Readers praise his unique ideas and approach to making art. Opinions differ on whether the book is too short or too long, with some finding it concise and informative, while others feel it lacks depth.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityInsightCreativityShort read
113 customers mention "Readability"105 positive8 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They appreciate its charm and concise style. The audiobook is a nice addition that provides a good listening experience. Overall, readers find the book helpful and insightful for creative people.

"...This was a delightful book. No fluff." Read more

"...But it's a quick, enjoyable read, and I'd still recommend it to anyone who enjoys Lynch not just as a director or artist, but as a person...." Read more

"...When you explain something in a way that makes it easy for the reader understand, you don't need to have a bunch of words because it would just muck..." Read more

"...Mr. Lynch spends about a page or two on each idea. It's really interesting to hear everything in his direct voice, but some more detail would have..." Read more

104 customers mention "Insight"96 positive8 negative

Customers find the book insightful and informative. They appreciate its wisdom, spirituality, and advice for bringing creative ideas to life. Readers describe it as an interesting and quick read.

"...love David lynch but also it’s just so easy to digest and makes me feel creative everyday by giving me that extra kick in the but." Read more

"...grained look of the film all combined to make it a very deep and lasting expression of a singular consciousness filled with joy and tragedy and deep..." Read more

"...His advice for creativity, I thought, was pretty helpful for just about any artistic medium. The book is pretty short...." Read more

"...7. The transformative power of art and the ability of creative expression to bring about positive change in the world 8...." Read more

27 customers mention "Creativity"27 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's creativity. They find it insightful, with a unique approach to making art and spirituality. Readers praise David Lynch's creative process and consider it a must-read for serious artists.

"...Its style is genuine, colloquial, and conversational. More a series of interview high-points than a structured beginning-middle-end journey...." Read more

"...7. The transformative power of art and the ability of creative expression to bring about positive change in the world 8...." Read more

"This book is beautifully designed. - such a pleasure to hold in your hand, and the words on the page breathe easily, so read easily...." Read more

"...goes through his thoughts on life, meditation, making films and creative methods...." Read more

24 customers mention "Short read"16 positive8 negative

Customers find the book has short chapters and is an easy read with only 180 pages. They appreciate the personal history, short stories, and anecdotes. However, some feel it lacks depth on certain topics, with each story being just one or two pages long.

"I just finished reading it. It took me a few days but it's actually short enough that one could sit down and read in one whoop...." Read more

"...The book is pretty short. It doesn't go super in depth into any one topic. Mr. Lynch spends about a page or two on each idea...." Read more

"...It's a verry easy read, its only 180 pages and around 80 something chapters...." Read more

"...end, the book has a charm to it, from it's size and shape, the bite-size chapters, the way it reads, to Lynch's take on connectedness and wholeness..." Read more

Non-linear thoughts to contemplate
4 out of 5 stars
Non-linear thoughts to contemplate
This book is beautifully designed. - such a pleasure to hold in your hand, and the words on the page breathe easily, so read easily. You can open any page and read an interesting bit. I've uploaded a couple passages - for instance, I love Angelo Badalamenti and how he worked with David Lynch... not a big long read, but just enough to capture how much David loved working with him. If you are a David Lynch fan, I would recommend instead of this book, his autobiography/biography ROOM TO DREAM. It's such a creative way to write memories from different points of view. This book leans more heavily on his practice of Transcendental Meditation.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • penny
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great for inspiration
    Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I love this book. I love David lynch but also it’s just so easy to digest and makes me feel creative everyday by giving me that extra kick in the but.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Semaphore
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really Enjoyable
    Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A very good friend of mine worked for David Lynch until her death. When she told me was a meditator, back in 1992, I found it hard to believe. I had been meditating for 20 years by then and couldn't imagine that someone whose films were utterly incomprehensible and even ugly at times could be diving into the same depths that are opened by TM. That changed when I saw Elephant Man. The depth of profundity of emotion and even the fine grained look of the film all combined to make it a very deep and lasting expression of a singular consciousness filled with joy and tragedy and deep humanity. I went back and saw his other films then and saw the same things through the varied telling and showing of different stories.
    Even more impressive is his passion to alleviate suffering and the compassion that drives him to do so by opening as many avenues to advance TH instruction for those most vulnerable.
    This was a delightful book. No fluff.
    18 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amy Barnes
    4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, but short
    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    For all of those who complain that this is neither an in-depth autobiography nor a detailed instructional manual on how to practice Transcendental Meditation - well, it's a bit silly to think such a small book would be a comprehensive ANYTHING.

    With that said, this little gem reads like you're having a short but intense one-on-one chat with Lynch. Its style is genuine, colloquial, and conversational. More a series of interview high-points than a structured beginning-middle-end journey. He is brutally honest about how he sees himself, how he sees the world, and what he thinks of each of his own artistic endeavours.

    I take off one star because there are multiple chapters that are literally ONE SENTENCE. Which, frankly, is a bit off-putting and results in a lot of wasted paper. But it's a quick, enjoyable read, and I'd still recommend it to anyone who enjoys Lynch not just as a director or artist, but as a person. It's almost impossible to read the book without hearing it in his voice... which is lovely.
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Miss Kiley
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful book.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I just finished reading it. It took me a few days but it's actually short enough that one could sit down and read in one whoop. I love that the chapters are short. When you explain something in a way that makes it easy for the reader understand, you don't need to have a bunch of words because it would just muck it up.

    I meditate already but I need to do it more and this book has inspired me to look into TM. I am an artist of sorts and I am inspired to tap into more of me to help get that rolling in an enjoyable way. I think we're all artist tho, even if you don't think you are. I think we suppress our creativity, maybe not intentionally but it's full potential is not something that many of us know about.

    I love David Lynch and I had no idea that he had written this. I was intrigued with the wee bit that I had read by someone's sharing and knew I had to read it. I can't wait to read it again and find more treasures within its contents.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Frank
    3.0 out of 5 stars Meditation, Creativity, and Film
    Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book has a lot of interesting information in it. David Lynch talks about his experience with Transcendental Meditation and its positive effects on him. He also talks about his strategies for living a life as an artist. And there are several different pages about the movies he's made, the actors in them, and his thoughts on film in general.

    His biggest points are the importance of healthy living, the importance of meditation, and being your natural self. His advice for creativity, I thought, was pretty helpful for just about any artistic medium.

    The book is pretty short. It doesn't go super in depth into any one topic. Mr. Lynch spends about a page or two on each idea. It's really interesting to hear everything in his direct voice, but some more detail would have been nice.

    I loved how positive David Lynch seemed in the whole book. About the biggest thing I took from the book was his advice on being healthy yourself. He says, for an artist, you have to understand things like depression to create conflict in a story. But, if you, yourself, are depressed, it will be very hard to create. So he suggests different ways throughout the book to keep yourself healthy and still make art.

    This was a great way to see into David Lynch's world through his own words. There's lots of great words, advice, and information, but it is very brief. But, if you're interested in David Lynch and his approach to life strategy, it's a great book.
    15 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Bill Harvey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ten key themes in the book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    1. The importance of meditation and mindfulness in the creative process

    2. The role of intuition and the unconscious mind in creativity

    3. The power of visualization and the importance of having a clear vision for a project

    4. The value of taking risks and embracing uncertainty in the creative process

    5. The importance of remaining true to one's own vision and avoiding the temptation to compromise for the sake of commercial success

    6. The role of synchronicity and the interconnectedness of all things

    7. The transformative power of art and the ability of creative expression to bring about positive change in the world

    8. The importance of maintaining a sense of curiosity and openness to new ideas

    9. The power of intention and the impact of our thoughts on our reality

    10. The value of a positive attitude and the role of perseverance in achieving success.
    38 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Dan Ferno
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente edición, llegó bien
    Reviewed in Mexico on August 15, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Estaba entre ésta edición en pasta dura o la de aniversario con contenido extra pero me agradó mucho ésta en pasta dura, es una edición muy bonita y no puedo hacer más para leerlo.
    Customer image
    Dan Ferno
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente edición, llegó bien
    Reviewed in Mexico on August 15, 2024
    Estaba entre ésta edición en pasta dura o la de aniversario con contenido extra pero me agradó mucho ésta en pasta dura, es una edición muy bonita y no puedo hacer más para leerlo.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    Customer image
    Report
  • Deborah A.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Meditation Reminder
    Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I experienced the ISHA centre in Tennessee last summer and it was indeed an ocean of pure bliss which I’d like to return to. Due to some mobility issues I had stopped the yoga portion of the teachings and then stopped everything. Reading this book reminded me of this pure bliss. A return to meditation will be a real comfort! Thank you David Lynch.
    Report
  • Paul
    5.0 out of 5 stars Full of wisdom
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Quite a high price however for a book that hasn’t that much content. The content it does have however is insightful and helpful. I did laugh at the title as my more cynical side thought ‘way to catch fish”. I have, however returned to it on many occasions as it puts in simple terms the source of creativity.
    Report
  • Devanshu Biswas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Made me think about my decisions
    Reviewed in India on October 31, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I dont read books often but I am glad I read this. It is more than just a talk about meditation
    Report
  • Johan Veronelli
    5.0 out of 5 stars .
    Reviewed in Spain on May 27, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Excelente
    Report