To Know a River: A Haig-Brown Reader

Readers unfamiliar with the works of Roderick Haig-Brown have a treat awaiting them here. Born in England, Haig-Brown went to Canada in 1927 to live on Vancouver Island. Between 1939 and 1964, he wrote eight highly acclaimed books about angling. From A River Never Sleeps and other books, his daughter Valerie has chosen 54 sparkling essays that reflect Haig-Brown's experiences and his philosophy of the sport. To him, fly-fishing was an intimate exploration of a part of the world hidden from the eyes and minds of ordinary people. He fished for salmon and trout in local rivers, in Chile and in the Canadian Arctic. In an eloquent defense of the sport, Haig-Brown argues that the best evidence of the aesthetic value of angling is in its contributions to art and literature. These essays amply demonstrate his point. Illustrations. (Oct.)