THE BEST AMERICAN HUNTING STORIES, edited by Anthony Catalina. Published by Weldon Owen, 415 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94111. Price: $32.50. Available through most bookstores.
By Larry Sterett | Book Review editor
This 254-page hardbound volume is a fun or enjoyable book to read. It is not a reference tome, but a book to read when time permits, lay it down, pick it up later and read another story or two, etc. The stories originally were published in Field & Stream magazine, and are representative of the best of their type.
Following a short introduction, the thirty stories are grouped into three categories– The Art of Hunting, The Way of the Hunter, and The Company We Keep. The majority of the stories are less than ten pages in length, allowing easy reading of several in one sitting. There are exceptions, such as People of the Caribou by Bill Heavey and An Improbable Elk Hunt by Susan Casey; both one-page shy of a score, but seem shorter when being read.
All the stories were interesting, but this reviewer’s favorite was Horn of the Hunter by David E. Petal. It covers a formal hunt in Germany, hence the horn(s). Hunting in Germany, Austria, etc. is unlike hunting here in the States. You hunt in groups, are told what is shootable that day, and are tightly regulated. Even the arms are a bit different; since you might be hunting big game and fowl on the same hunt, a drilling would be ideal. Usually there is an opening ceremony and a closing ceremony to honor the dead game.
There are no photographs in this volume, but there are a few black and white sketches, and the end papers resemble knotty pine paneling. Following the stories there are a few pages devoted to the editor, about Field & Stream magazine, the nine authors, a list of which issues the original stories appeared, and a list of the various staff members. There is no index.
This not a coffee table book, but more of a nightstand volume to enjoy at the end of a long day. Pleasant dreams.
