My Moby Dick

by William Humphrey

From the acclaimed author of Home from the Hill and The Ordways comes a charming and erudite account of what happens when the fish hooks the fisherman

In the Berkshire mountains, novelist and avid outdoorsman William Humphrey discovers a gigantic, one-eyed brown trout lazing in the shallows of a roadside stream. Between three and four feet long and weighing more than thirty pounds, it is a fish too big not to be fished for. It is also, therefore, a fish too big to be caught.

Yet Humphrey resolves to do just that, and with a dry fly, no less. What follows is a season-long pursuit of the impossible as the amateur angler practices his technique, devises schemes for getting old One-eye to bite, and steels himself for the climactic showdown. Man and trout will find that they have much to learn from each other.

One of the finest fishing stories ever published, My Moby Dick is a small masterpiece about a whale of a fish.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of William Humphrey including rare photos form the author’s estate.

Genres: Memoir

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1978

About the author

William Humphrey was an American novelist, memoirist, short story writer, and author of literary sporting and nature stories. His published works, while still available in French translation, largely have been out of print until recently. Home from the Hill and The Ordways are available from LSU Press. In 2015, Open Road Media published the complete works of William Humphrey in digital form.
Of significant interest to readers of Humphrey are Wakeful Anguish, A Literary Biography of William Humphrey by Ashby Bland Crowder as well as Far From Home, Selected Letters of William Humphrey edited by Crowder, both available from Louisiana State University Press.

Reviews

[Mosco · Rating 4 out of 5]

molto molto simpatico :-)

[David Finger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and enjoyable read that perfectly captures the strange obsession a fisherman has with his craft. Author William Humphrey has a poetic yet conversational style as he tells the tale of his quest to catch “old one-eye”, a monster trout located in a stream in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Even if you aren’t a fisherman, you can appreciate this book and Humphrey’s determination to best his foe.

[Shaun P Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, short read. The buildup was great, but overshadowed the final scene.

[Julia]

My dad loves this book so I checked it out. It helped me understand his fishing hobby. Much more complex , & mentally compelling than I had realized. A real sport. My Moby Duck is a well- told story.

[H R Koelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat little book. A quick read weighing in at a mere 96 pages of my Penguin imprint circa 1979.

Ah, the madness the fisherman can experience! It is well described here, with a succinct last paragraph that sums up a lifetime of fly fishing for every angler.

The writing style is dated in comparison to modern novels, hence my four star rating. The author's style harkens back to the somewhat ponderous and excessively complicated compositions of early American prose, such as Melville, Hawthorne, etc., that William Humphrey acknowledges his affinity for. Aside from the antiquated style, it's a fun little book that can be read quickly, which will put a smile on any dedicated angler's face.