Fly-Fishing the 41st: Around the World on the 41st Parallel - Hardcover

Prosek, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060193794 ISBN 13: 9780060193799

Publisher: Harper, 2003

Synopsis

"One day, I left in a straight line from home at 41 Kachele Street, east along the 41st parallel, following my passion for fish. It was a journey not only away from home, but toward it; which is the beauty of traveling in a circle, and theirony of adventure. This suited me, for in the event that I strayed -- as I would likely take some latitude with the latitude -- as long as I could find my way back to the 41st parallel I would not get lost."

-- James Prosek

The New York Times has called James Prosek "the Audubon of the fishing world" and in Fly-Fishing the 41st, he uses words and color to bring to life an astonishing adventure around the world. Beginning in his hometown of Easton, Connecticut, Prosek circumnavigated the globe along the 41st parallel. Home of Spain, Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, China, and Japan; marched over and fought for by Marco Polo, Genghis Khan, and Alexander the Great -- it contains some of the great cities and great fishing of the world. As he traveled the globe along the latitude of his hometown, he was surprised to find, through his love of fishing, a connection with the people and cultures he encountered.

Prosek finds fish in country streams and city rivers -- even the Seine in cosmopolitan Paris, once severely polluted, is now teeming with life. Several of the streams he fishes in Turkey and the Balkans bring him through areas of turmoil, and in countries where fishing is done for food instead of enjoyment, he is often greeted with puzzlement, but throughout, he is at home on the water. From the meadows of Connecticut to the minefields of the Balkans, to the fringe of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, and small mountain streams in the Shiritoko Peninsula of Hokkaido, Japan, Fly-Fishing the 41st, the journey of a fisherman, captures with words and colors the humanity and shared love of fishing. Prosek's beautiful watercolors are the perfect complement to this amazing work of discovery.

About this title

About the Author:

James Prosek is a writer and artist. Dubbed “the Audubon of the fishing world” by the New York Times, his books include Trout, The Complete Angler, and Fly-Fishing the 41st. He lives in Easton, Connecticut.

From Publishers Weekly:

Prosek (Trout: An Illustrated History) takes his passion for trout across the world in a travel narrative that is like a river, sometimes meandering and often refreshing. Realizing that he has happily fished his entire life around his home of Easton, Conn., Prosek decides to fish that parallel because that's where trout thrive. He first travels to Spain where he fishes the freshwater streams within the Moorish Alhambra, then goes on to Paris. There, he meets an eccentric group of artists and fishermen whose ringleader is a man named Pierre, and together they fish the Seine for a catfishlike monster, the silure. Prosek vibrantly contrasts the grandness of Paris with the remote calm of the early morning Seine. He next meets a fanatic (sometimes annoyingly so) Austrian baker, and fisherman, named Johannes, who takes Prosek to such far-flung regions as Corsica, Turkey, Armenia and Mongolia. It is during Prosek's travels with Johannes (who snorkels rather than casts for fish) that the reader realizes that the fishing is secondary to the adventure. Some of Prosek's best moments happen on a solo journey to Japan. There, he describes the food and countryside-on crisp autumn walks to streams-as evocatively as he describes the varied colors of the fish. Prosek's passion and earnest investigation more than make up for any absence of tall fish tales. 18 color plates by Prosek not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0060193794
• ISBN 13: 9780060193799
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320