[cast-n-blast]

What's your favorite or most influential book you've read pertaining the shooting sports ?       Mine happens to be Elmer Keith's,"####, I was there !" Elmer was a hunter who guided, wildcated some of our most popular cartridges, helped develope the 'old' Model 70  and the .44 mag.       Elmer was an innovator and man of action first, and a gun writer second, unlike some of todays writers. He told it the way it was, no mater whose toes he stepped on.

 

[DOK]

Good question, and I'll submit three favorites, each with a little different subject and flavor.

"Fast and Fancy" by Ed McGivern. Very similiar to Keith in that I'd loved to have met and watched him perform. The book takes a little "working at", but like Keith, the gentleman really knew his stuff.

"Death in the Long Grass" by Peter Capstick. A big game hunter's adventures in the African Bush. This is one of five Capstick books I have and each one offers adventures with the long guns that makes you shake your head.

"We Pointed Them North, Recollenctions of a Cowpuncher" by E.C.Abbott ("Teddy Blue")
and Helena Huntington Smith.  Guns are of course, not the main subject, but they play an important part of this cowboys experiences. One of the very best "old west" books I've read.

Dan

 

[alyeska338]

I would have to divide this into 2 categories, one on firearms in general and one on hunting.
1.  Shooting and Firearms in general would have to be Jim Carmichel's Book of the Rifle.
2.  Hunting and adventure, pick any of Russell Annabel's Books.

Oh yeah, one other collection that I feel is a must for all interested in the outdoors, is every book that has been written by Patrick McManus.  <!--emo&--><img src="http://beartoothbullets.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''><!--endemo-->



<!--EDIT|alyeska338|April 14 2002,14:47-->

 

[Charlie Z]

Ken Water's "Pet Loads" book.  

Not only does it cover every cartridge (and use for it) used in North America (and many European), but it also covers the guns that are most associated with the round.  By far the most useful and entertaining book I have on the subject.

Charlie

 

[MikeG]

Teddy Rooseveldt's book about his safari - title escapes me just now.  Great stuff!

 

[erick]

Hello everybody. I would say the most enjoyable and influencial books that I have read in my hunting/shooting career would be (maybe not in this order) two books by Paul A. Matthews, "Forty Years with the 45-70" and "sixty Years of Rifles a Personal Odyssey"(both are a must for you 45-70 shooters)."Hunting with the Twenty-Two" by C.S.Landis."A Rifleman Went To War" by H.W. Mc Bride and of course last but not least "$$#@, I Was There!" by the great Elmer Keith.

 

[William Iorg]

There are so many good ones!
Kenneth Fuller Lee's Big Game Hunting and Marksmanship.

Elmer Keith's Rifles For Large Game.

Fremantles The Book of the Rifle.

Maul Matthews Forty Years with the .45-70 is indeed a good one, along with any of his mentors works - Dr. Henry Stebbins.

 

[twillis]

Elmer Kieth's Sixguns - It got me started in Handguns.

Capstick's "Death" series.

 

[Alex Stanton1]

I'll second McManus..... from trading skills to the art of delay, he's been an influence in almost every area of my sportsman life. <!--emo&--><img src="http://beartoothbullets.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''><!--endemo-->

 

[DOK]

cast-n-blast,

You're costing me a lot of money----I've been to Amazon.com three times already! I've obviously lead a sheltered life out here amongst the cows and piglets.

Dan

 

[William Iorg]

Dok

three ways to save yourself a TON of money.

The Advanced Book Exchange. Use and new book dealers from around the world. Use any search engine and type in abe.

Powells.Com They are on abe, but not with all of their books.

The Firearms Classic Library, part ofr the NRA.
This is a well kept secret, you will see why when you price the used books from this series on ABE. The books cost thirty dollars with a one year money back guarantee.
Titles such as Keith's Rifles for large game which had not been reprinted are avai;able with a nice leather binding and a new forward by Jim Cassada. Dr. Cassad doesnt aways give a 110% effort, but most of the new introductions are an interesting addition to the book.

Anyway, all that money you save can go into more books!!

 

[cast-n-blast]

Howdy Everyone,
                     Many of you have mentioned other favorites of mine. I believe I have every one of Paul Matthews books, with a particular fondness for 'Forty years with the .45-70'.And yes I have  pet loads . I'm guilty as charged for owning Mcmanus' books also.
                   
                    DOK, not to worry, you got some payback. That cowboy drive book sounds pretty enticing. Going to have to look that one up.

                    It's GREAT talking to all you good people out there. It's nice to know there are other people out there with same tastes, likes, and dislikes as myself.

                    Have any of you been dragged to the wife's work party and felt you had nothing in common with anyone there ? You mention guns or hunting and everyone stops talking, stars or walks away.

 

[William Iorg]

Dok

You can save a TON of money by going to the Advanced Book Exchange, just type in abe in any search engine.
Used book dealers from all over the world list there.
I have never been stung on abe, knock on wood!

Powells.com is another, they list on abe but not all of their stuff is on there. When you see how many stores they have you will see why.
They will get a book from the shelf and talk to you about it for hours. I once spent twenty minutes on their nickle talking to a lady deer hunter about Francis Sell - some book store!

Go to the NRA's Firearms Classic Library. You will not regret this. The books have a one year money back guarantee, they are leather bound and come with a new intro by Jim Cassada. Not all of Dr. Cassada's intro's are a 110% effort but overall they add to the books.
Some rare books such as Keith's rifles for Large Game are in the series. Getting this book for thirty bucks - leather bound! is really something!

So, you may end up spending all the money you save but.... you will have a nice library!

 

[DOK]

William,

Appreciate the information and will give it a try.

Dan

 

[IDShooter]

Boy, this is a hard one!
     I think my favorite is Robert Ruark's "Horn of the Hunter", along with Theodore Roosevelt's "African Game Trails". Those two are certainly my favorite African books.  I also have two anthologies that I really like. One is called "Loaded for Bear" and the other is called "The Bear Hunter's Century". Both are interesting; "Loaded for Bear" has lots of different kinds of hunting stories, fiction and non-fiction. "The Bear Hunter's Century" profiles many famous bear hunters from Davey Crockett on up.
Too much good reading out there and never enough time!           IDShooter

PS- I also have all of Pat McManus' books. Even lucky enough to have one autographed since he doesn't live too far from me!



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[whitehunter35]

Gentlemen,

Clay Harvey had written a book called "The Hunter's Rifle".   Excellent, truly informative, and Mr Harvey coveys good hard information without it reading like stereo instructions.

Steve

 

[Sunday Creek]

I haven't checked this forum for a few days and was delighted to see this thread. I've been writing professionally for 32 years and would have to say much of my interest began with one man: Jim Kjelgaard. I discovered this author when I was in junior high and read every book he wrote. You may remember him as the author of "Big Red" and other dog stories, but he wrote a number of books about wildlife, like "The Wahoo Bobcat". It's a pity more young people aren't reading him today. I've published 11 books and thousands of articles and I can trace that genesis back to Kjelgaard (and Will James). Thanks, Mr. Iorg, for the resources you mentioned. I will have to take a look. As for contemporary books, I enjoyed all of Capstick's but I am still looking for the books that contain the technical with the artistic (I tend toward the artistic). I'll have to look through my library and see what pops up.

 

[William Iorg]

Sunday Creek

Someone mentioned Clay Harvey above. Mr. Harvey (I'll bet he would laugh at that ) is a rare  man who seems to enjoy crafting a story with words. When he gets carried away with the game he laughs at himself.
Harvey blends the technical with a simple style. Similar to Layne Simpson.
I have wondered if he is the son of the Clay Harvey of '50's? Bored through cylinders and shot loads etc.

 

[alyeska338]

ID,
Since it has been many, many moons ago that I read Ruark, I had forgotten all about his great books.  He is definitely one of my favorite writers.  The Old Man and The Boy, I guess is my favorite of his.  Another worthy of mention is any of Havilah(sp?) Babcock's books.  Jaybirds Go to #### On Friday and I Don't Want To Shoot An Elephant are simply outstanding.  Hunting and Fishing From A to Zern by Ed Zern is also delightful.

 

[IDShooter]

Alyeska,
    I have The Old Man and the Boy also. What a super book! Imagine how much better this place would be if all boys had an "old man".     ID