The Tent Dwellers

by Albert Bigelow Paine, Hy. Watson (Illustrator)

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Travel, History, Classics, Nonfiction, Outdoors, Nature

127 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

Albert Bigelow Paine was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fiction, humour, and verse.
(Source: en.wikipedia.org)

Reviews

[Beth Lind]

Witty and wonderful.

"The wilderness will welcome you, and teach you, and take you to it's heart. And you will find your own soul there; and the discovery will be worth while." The book ends on that statement and sums up the experience nicely. It almost makes me want to go camping -- especially if ever in Nova Scotia.

[Ann]

The author was Mark Twain's biographer, and they share the same wit. Playing the doofus camper/fisherman in this 1908 travel journal of a fishing trip in Kejimkujik and the Tobeatic wilderness of Nova Scotia, Paine shows he is no doofus with words.
I found it a wonderful read while I was canoe-camping in Kejimkujik -- Kejima-what-ik?, as Marc and I called it during the short and sweet portages on the Big Dam/Frozen Ocean Lakes loop.
Paine, his super-angler buddy Eddie, and their two guides, Del the Stout and Charles the Strong, had great fishing adventures. These might not be compelling enough to hold the reader for the length of a book if it were not for the author's sharp wit and ability to ink himself as the hapless character with whom everybody may empathize.
(This summer, Kejimkujik and surrounding communities have been celebrating various Tent Dwellers events to mark the 100th anniversary of the book.)

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33846

[Brett Smith]

This quickly became the best nonfiction novel I’ve read. I’d give it six stars if I could. A staple of Nova Scotian adventure, it combines poetry, exhilaration, the art of fly fishing, the asceticism of portage, and the camaraderie that naturally develops from shared suffering.

Written in 1908, it has stood the test of time and remains one of the best books written on Nova Scotian adventure.

[Brad]

4.25

[Jeff]

Really enjoyed this. A bit slow at times but a great historical account of canoeing in Nova Scotia. The authors wit is very dry and extremely clever at times. Really good read if you are interested in canoeing, wilderness and Nova Scotia history.

[David]

Anybody from Nova Scotia would enjoy this narrative about nature as it was 100 plus years ago and compare with the state our province is in now.

[Hazel]

Read this while paddling in some of the same areas over 100 years later! Descriptive, humorous prose that captures that moment in history and the natural wonders of that place beautifully.

[Lucy]

4 1/2 stars. In 1908, two American gentlemen and two local guides spent several weeks fly fishing in Nova Scotia. Those of us who have lived in Nova Scotia will recognize the descriptions of Keji, with its countless rocks and trees and water - not to mention blackflies and mosquitoes. Albert Paine was a friend of Mark Twain. I can picture the men at Twain’s house afterward, upstairs in his den, with their whiskey and cigars, telling tales about the trip. This was published as non-fiction and I suppose it’s all as true as any story told by a fisherman. If you’ve ever gone camping or fishing in the wilderness, or even considered it but came to your senses, this book will surely make you smile.

[Kelly Martin]

Wow. This book claimed it was a book about fishing in Nova Scotia in 1908. S
And Lord knows that there is a lot of trout fishing here, but there is also a lot of killing everything else they managed to see in the bush! Not a book that I would have chosen to be among N.S. 150 books of influence.

[Margaret]

A surprisingly charming book that recounts a journey into the "wilds" of Nova Scotia in years gone by. Of interest to those who would like a window into the world of fishing in the late 19th century, or who would like to understand one aspect of the Nova Scotia economy in those years. Exceedingly well written, this is a great book to take on a camping trip or curl up with on the cottage porch.

[Gordo]

Thoroughly Enjoyable

Written in a humorous, fun loving style that you just don't see anymore. Loved it from first page to last. The tale of fishing and exploring in the days gone by.

[Travis Allen]

Mark Twain travels to Nova Scotia and does a lot of fishing.

[Andrew W]

A fun, clean, humorous outdoor book.

[Billy]

Humorous recounting of a fishing/ camping canoeing trip in Nova Scotia about 125 years ago.

[Annika Phillips]

A short, easy read- I had to read this book for work purposes. I have never fished or enjoyed fishing, which is where the three stars comes in for me. However, there was something really endearing in reading about a fishing trip set a century ago in my home province.

The author is definitely a city guy not used to being in the wild. In a sense it was cool to see it from that perspective and ended on a sweet, real note about what it means to get outside and explore.

[Nathan]

I can't remember how I first found out about this book, but after reading the summary I knew I had to. Two weeks out in the middle of nowhere away from civilization sounds like my kind of good time.
At first, I had a hard time getting into reading the book. I found it a tad slow starting and it took some time getting used to some of the old time English used throughout. After those little hiccups, it was smooth canoeing for the rest of the book. Paine does a good job at telling things as they happened, for better or worse, and he paints a good picture of what kinds and how plentiful the wildlife was in Nova Scotia was in the early 1900s. I recommend people check out Keji National park, its a beautiful place to go, a shame the federal gov't cut the winter camping there. Also , there's a Tent Dwellers festival where they retrace the route Paine and co. took on their expedition.

[Mike]

This is a thoroughly charming, and very funny, read. Although over a hundred years old, the writing style seems very modern. Perfect for anyone interested in travel writing or the outdoors; or frankly anyone who enjoys a good book. Hard to imagine anyone reading this and not enjoying it.

[jordan]

wish i'd read it BEFORE my trip to Nova Scotia, but it's just as well. our experience wasn't quite so "comfortable."

[bookyeti]

As a die-hard wilderness camper and canoer, I am really looking forward to reading about Paine's excursion through my favourite National Park - Kejimkujik!

[One Last Petal Books]

Wonderful little recount of an exploration and fishing trip in the woods of Nova Scotia

[Ryan]

One of my favourite reads about a place close to home. This story has a special place on my bookshelf.

[Chris]

Light read and very funny...makes me want to get the canoe out and do some fishing!