To Know a River: A Haig-Brown Reader

Roderick Haig-Brown has been hailed as one of the great writers on fly fishing and its many moods since his work was first published it the 1930s. Today his writings about the rivers he loved, the trout and salmon that obsessed him, and the life of an angler are as stirring, amusing, and powerfully felt as they were when first published.

In seven parts, the book moves from discovering the river to the fish that live in it, from the art of fishing to the philosophy that underlies it. The 54 sparkling essays in this collection - the only compilation of essays from his many famous titles - include such classics as "Fly Types," a meditation on the appropriate flies for different conditions; "Perfect Morning," in which he shares the joys of the catch; and "What is Good?", a musing about luck.

Illustrated with 16 black-and-white plates and brimming with the sights, smells, and tastes of the river, this stunning collection is a beautiful tribute to fly fishing and love of the land. (6 X 9, 384 pages, illustrations)

RODERICK L. HAIG-BROWN was born in England but lived all of his adult life on Vancouver Island, along the banks of the Campbell River.

VALERIE HAIG-BROWN is Roderick Haig-Brown’s eldest daughter. She is an editor and lives on the edge of the Rockies in southwestern Alberta.