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Afield: American Writers on Bird Dogs
This marvelous collection features stories from some of America’s finest and most respected writers about every outdoorsman’s favorite and most loyal hunting his dog. For the first time, the stories of acclaimed writers such as Tom Brokaw, Howell Raines, Rick Bass, Sydney Lea, Jim Harrison, Tom McGuane, and Chris Camuto, come together in one collection. Hunters and non-hunters alike will recognize in these poignant tales the universal aspects of owning companionship, triumph, joy, forgiveness, and loss.
The hunter’s outdoor spirit meets the writer’s passion for detail in these honest, fresh pieces of storytelling. Here are the days spent on the trail, shotgun in hand with Fido on point—the thrills and memories that fill the hearts of bird hunters. Here is the perfect gift for dog lovers, hunters, and bibliophiles of every makeup. This is a delightful, handsome volume that captures the wild spirit of dogs and those who love them.
Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bow hunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
The hunter’s outdoor spirit meets the writer’s passion for detail in these honest, fresh pieces of storytelling. Here are the days spent on the trail, shotgun in hand with Fido on point—the thrills and memories that fill the hearts of bird hunters. Here is the perfect gift for dog lovers, hunters, and bibliophiles of every makeup. This is a delightful, handsome volume that captures the wild spirit of dogs and those who love them.
Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bow hunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2010
9 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Robert DeMott
34 books6 followersRobert DeMott is an American author, scholar, and editor best known for his influential scholarship on writer John Steinbeck, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath (1939), and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 16, 2018
Yes, amazing. That this volume includes some of my favorite authors make it more so; Jim Harrison, Tom McGuane, Guy De la Valdène, etc. The subject matter is exquisite, dogs. :) I chuckled and cried while reading, commiserated and scoffed. Beautifully written stories and not a clunker in the bunch.
February 3, 2019
Beautifully written and I found myself laughing in so many of the moments that those with bird dogs can relate to. Take this one a story at a time. The first story wrecked me for a weekend and my husband told me to go find our dog to love on her to regain a bit of composure.
June 8, 2022
Beautiful writing by all the contributors. I am not a hunter, but have no problem with those who do. Books like these make me want to get a bird dog and go hunting with them, but probably with a camera instead of a shotgun. I think for dog lovers it is still a great book to enjoy the partnership between dogs and their owners, and the amazing skills of dogs.
I like to collect quotes or excerpts to save when the writing is good. I saved quite a few from this book. Too often the writing is good but wouldn't hold so well outside of the context of the story, which just means instead of saving an excerpt, you just save the book to read again.
What I also found interesting in this book was how great the Introduction was and then how good the foreward was, even though it is several pages of how he didn't like dog stories. I don't think I have ever read a book with an introduction that I liked as much or more as the stories in the book.
With a book on bird dogs and hunting with them, there of course is that common theme to all the stories. There is the part when they get them, and train them, and their good points and bad points, and especially the perfect and memorable days spent with them, and of course how all must come to an end. Each contributor has their own spin on it though, and I always enjoy learning of a great dog that will now live forever in the words captured between the covers of a book.
I saved some quotes from the book in GR, but here is one that is a good example:
“Over the past two seasons, we have become teammates. Jake knows his range and when he pushes it and I call "Here" he turns and reels in without challenge. When I change direction, he races back to get out in front of me without word or whistle. I know better than to try to convince him to investigate a birdy looking spot that he's already passed through - it is barren no matter what I think. If Jake remains on point after a flush, it is no false point - there is another bird in there (and yet, I will always be unready for the rise). When he is out of sight and his brass bell goes silent, I know he will hold the bird until I can get there, at which time their tenuous connection, like a fuse, ignites and the bird breaks free. Jake freezes solid when he has a maybe-bird, except his eyes are loose and follow me worriedly and uncertainly as he waits for me to kick through the brush. Although Jake retrieved to hand the first bird ever shot over him, our compromise is that he does that only when he wants to: he finds birds dead or alive, but he's nobody's delivery boy. That's fine, Jake and I understand each other.” ― Jeddie Smith in the story 'A good Southern Name'
I like to collect quotes or excerpts to save when the writing is good. I saved quite a few from this book. Too often the writing is good but wouldn't hold so well outside of the context of the story, which just means instead of saving an excerpt, you just save the book to read again.
What I also found interesting in this book was how great the Introduction was and then how good the foreward was, even though it is several pages of how he didn't like dog stories. I don't think I have ever read a book with an introduction that I liked as much or more as the stories in the book.
With a book on bird dogs and hunting with them, there of course is that common theme to all the stories. There is the part when they get them, and train them, and their good points and bad points, and especially the perfect and memorable days spent with them, and of course how all must come to an end. Each contributor has their own spin on it though, and I always enjoy learning of a great dog that will now live forever in the words captured between the covers of a book.
I saved some quotes from the book in GR, but here is one that is a good example:
“Over the past two seasons, we have become teammates. Jake knows his range and when he pushes it and I call "Here" he turns and reels in without challenge. When I change direction, he races back to get out in front of me without word or whistle. I know better than to try to convince him to investigate a birdy looking spot that he's already passed through - it is barren no matter what I think. If Jake remains on point after a flush, it is no false point - there is another bird in there (and yet, I will always be unready for the rise). When he is out of sight and his brass bell goes silent, I know he will hold the bird until I can get there, at which time their tenuous connection, like a fuse, ignites and the bird breaks free. Jake freezes solid when he has a maybe-bird, except his eyes are loose and follow me worriedly and uncertainly as he waits for me to kick through the brush. Although Jake retrieved to hand the first bird ever shot over him, our compromise is that he does that only when he wants to: he finds birds dead or alive, but he's nobody's delivery boy. That's fine, Jake and I understand each other.” ― Jeddie Smith in the story 'A good Southern Name'
December 4, 2014
Giving up halfway through. I ought to have just re-read The Dog Who Wouldn't Be.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews