Book Description
Tailored after the actual "Crow Killer" John Johnson, Sam Minard is a mountain man who seeks the freedom that the Rocky Mountains offers trappers. After his beloved Indian wife is murdered, Sam Minard becomes obsessed with vengeance, and his fortunes become intertwined with those of Kate Bowden, a widow who faces madness. This remarkable frontier fiction captures that brief season when the romantic myth of the far West became a fact.
Customer Reviews:
An all time favorite.......2007-03-27
I didn't read this book until after I had seen 'Jeremiah Johnson', and was pleased that the movie and book were so different. I enjoyed the movie very much, but with Fisher's story I felt as though I had put on my huntin' clothes, laced up my boots, grabbed my Hawken Rifle, and joined in on the adventure. Coming from a family of outdoorsmen, some of us certainly fantasized about leaving it all behind from time to time, and making our way in the remote wilderness. In fact my two brothers moved to the Pacific Northwest after college and still spend much of their free time wandering the Cascades. Anyone who loves the wild west will find this one to be a real gem, and simply by reading it, will be richly rewarded. It is a diamond in the rough, but not one to be missed, and has inspired much of my own writing. This one comes highly recommended.
James Hart Isley
Author of The Bear Hunter
A RENAISSANCE MAN IN THE AMERICAN WEST.......2004-02-14
MOUNTAIN MAN continues to be a classic in American Western literature. The major foundation for the movie, Jeremiah Johnson, MOUNTAIN MAN tells the story of Samuel John Minard, a mountain man known for his physical prowess and for his quick and educated intellect. A renaissance man who has chosen the life of the great American West.
In his adventures Sam meets up with Indians of various tribes, other mountain men and a crazy pilgrim woman. HIs marriage to an Indian maiden leads him into a one-man war with sweeping consequences for himself and for his enemies.
MOUNTAIN MAN, as is the case with most books upon which movies are based, considerably outshines JEREMIAH JOHNSON in its story and characterizations. But, hey, I love the movie as well. I guess that says a lot about what I think of the book.
THE HORSEMAN
THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL.......2003-08-25
Mountain Man
Interestingly Larry McMurtry has written three books of late that invite the reader back to the time of the Mountain Men. I've read all of them and while I love McMurtry's writing and the stories presented in Boone's Lick and in volumes 1 and 2 of the new Berry bender series, there is nothing like going back to the source for the real experience.
I first read Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher as a teenager. I read it in conjunction with the release of Jeremiah Johnson upon which the book is loosely based. At that time I was captured by this genre and have made a regular reading of Mountain Man a part of my program.
While I can enthusiastically recommend the newer editions to the Mountain Man genre, I would encourage interested parties in taking a look at Mountain Man first. While you're at it, rent or buy Jeremiah Johnson starring Robert Redford. The experience will be one that you don't regret.
interesting but has flaws.......2003-06-22
Quite interesting book, whose literary value I won't judge, but it has every rumor about Indians and every lie about Supermountainmen incorporated into it. I read it because of the movie, and the movie was better. If you ask me, Thorp's "Crow Killer" is more concise and more realistic. But if you are a West fan, guess you will want to read Fischer too.
Poetry and Beauty.......2003-05-22
This was the first book I had read by Vardis Fisher. He is a very colorful writer. His descriptions of every thing he sees and everything he thinks is wonderful. His knowledge of classical music is warming. I personally love classical music. Even though I enjoyed the book very much I did not like the continual repeat of his describing the scenry over and over.
Book Description
Even among the mighty mountain men, Jim Bridger was a towering figure. He was one of the greatest explorers and pathfinders in American history. He couldn't write his name, but at eighteen he had braved the fury of the Missouri, ascending it in a keelboat flotilla commanded by that stalwart Mike Fink. By 1824, when he was only twenty, he had discovered the Great Salt Lake. Later he was to open the Overland Route, which was the path of the Overland Stage, the Pony Express, and the Union Pacific. One of the foremost trappers in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, he was a legend in his own time as well as ours. He remains one of the most important scouts and guides in the history of the West.
The Christian Science Monitor has called this biography "probably the fairest portrait of Jim Bridger in existence." The New York Times has praise for a "painstaking job of research among the usual Bridger sources and among some others which have been neglected. . . . [The author] has adequately set the scene for his hero's adventures and has honestly appraised the great guide's historical stature."Other Bison Books by Stanley Vestal: Dodge City: Queen of Cowtowns, Joe Meek: The Merry MOuntain Man; The Missouri, The Old Santa Fe Trail, and Warpath: The True Story of the Fighting Sioux Told in a Biography of Chief White Bull
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Biography.......2006-05-01
I just finish reading this book. I thought it was very excellent and intriguing about Jim Bridger. A man, who took no pleasure in killing, following the number one rule, "Survival of the Fittest and Kill or be Killed. I would've like to have gotten more information on his wife and children. It's sad about what happened to his daughter and that he was widowed twice. But it's good to know that his last years were spent with his children and grandchildren. I was brought almost to tears upon reading the final chapter of this book. I'm very fascinated with the Mountain Men and the Indian women they married.
Jim Bridger.......2005-08-05
So far so good. The book tells the life story of Bridger, which is what I wanted to see.
Good History.......2004-09-12
I'd like to give the book another star, but just don't think I can. I found it an interesting and well researched description of Bridger's life. It has both an excellent index and references. The author gave a fair and balanced assessment of Bridger. It appears that some previous books on him might have been unfair or too praiseworthy about his life. Somehow the descriptions lacked a little spark, although there are a number of vivid passages. Perhaps this has to do with the fact the book was written 100 years after Bridger's death. In fact, this book is now 30 years old, and I believe the author wrote his first book on similar topics back in the 30s. Nevertheless, it's a good and complete description of Bridger's life.
One of the sadder aspects of the story is near the ending when the author reveals that during the last 10-15 years of Bridger's life no writer took the opportunity to interview Bridger. He was in his sixties and seventies, I believe, but was a rather ignored individual, except by his family. He had an exceptionally good memory. Someone missed the opportunity to get more of his rather amazing life straight from the source. The 2-3 page description of his last years, and his desire to keep moving summarize his deep need for adventure and discovery.
He was apparently quite a wit and teller of tall tales. Only four of five of his short tales are found in the book. Interestingly, he told many of his stories in sign languages to the indians.
The book contains on chapter of the famous Hugh Glass incident. It's worth reading if you have not heard it. The story was incorporated into a movie, A Man Called Horse , starring Richard Harris, in a slightly different form. I also found the long passage on "medicine wolves" quite intriguing.
I think this book might disspell a notion that the indian's scalping and body mutiliations of their enemies was derived from copying Europeans might be false. I read such an explanation in another book written at about the same time as this one. However, here we find repeated references to such carnage. In fact, it seems this savagery also been deeply engrained into the mountain men and other early frontiersmen. I suspect such carnages placed on one's enemies has deep roots in all of human history.
An endearing llook at an historic character.......2000-09-21
Bridger is a larger than life character. The author portrays Bridger as a character who was unimpressed with developed society. His treasure was the mountains and the mystery of an undeveoped land and people. His humility and lack of concern for unbelievers of the wonder of the mountains aligns him with someone who has a tremendous fishing hole but doesnt want anyone to fish it dry.
It's the best book ever.......1999-01-27
This book is awesome !!!!!!!
Book Description
Filled with valuable information for hobbyists, survival enthusiasts, family campers - and everyone who enjoys outdoor life, Mountainman Crafts and Skills is the essential illustrated guide to wilderness living and survival. How to make your own clothing, shelter, and equipment are all covered in step-by-step detail - through illustrations by the author himself. Learn how to make and use hunting tools and utensils, wild game traps, mountainman clothing, powder flasks and horns, tents, deer-horn jewelry, and much more. Wilderness survival skills are also covered, with instruction geared at both novice and expert. Learn how to trap wild game, tan hides, shoot with black powder, make a fire, and cook a hearty meal with only the barest of essentials. Rich in mountainman historical lore, from descriptions of foods and living habits to campfire yarns, Mountainman Crafts and Skills is a must for everyone who loves the great outdoors. (6 X 9, 240 pages, illustrations, diagrams)
Customer Reviews:
Mountainman Crafts and Skills: A Fully Illustrated Guide..........2002-07-20
This is a worthwhile book only if you aren't very concerned about historical authenticity or the material culture of the fur trade period. If you want to make gear with greater historical authenticity you are better off studying the Book of Buckskinning series by Scurlock. The Scurlock series is based on evolving scholarship, and has improved with every volume as historical and material culture research has revealed more knowledge to students of that period in history.
A Great Book.......2001-11-21
This book is full of information from fire-making to tanning hides to making coon skin hats. This would be a good book for camping to. This is exactly the book I've been looking for!
Great Book.......2001-11-21
This book is really great! I found it at the library and now I am going to buy it because it is so full of information I want to keep it handy.
Book Description
A celebration of the Mountain Man A poetic tribute to the dauntless first Westernersthe mountain menand their incredible adventures. Here, among many, are the stories of: John Colter, who, in 1808, naked and without weapons or food, escaped captivity by the Blackfeet and ran and walked 250 miles to Fort Lisa at the mouth of the Yellowstone River Hugh Glass, who was mauled by a grizzly, left for dead by his companions, and crawled three hundred miles to Fort Kiowa on the Missouri Kit Carson, who ran away from home at age seventeen, became a legendary mountain man in his twenties and served as scout and guide for John C. Fremonts westward explorations of the 1840s
Customer Reviews:
Definitely a worthwhile read, entertaining, authentic.......2007-06-06
I highly recommend this book very authentic, but entertaining, enthralling and compelling. My advice is to get the paperback, and mark it up as you go thru, as you will want to return to it often for reference or refreshing.
History with a heart beat........2006-10-04
This book is much more than just a history of the fur trade and mountain men. In fact, if you read the Preface, Win states that he wishes to portray the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the mountain men from a subjective point of view. He accomplishes the task. It's a wonderful read about the mountain men (not ALL of the mountain men but a select, representative few) and their lives. You may ask, how accurate is his subjective view. The answer lies in the fact that Win is well researched in the lives of the mountain man, well learned in the mountain ways, and skilled enough to give these historical figures a heartbeat. As mentioned before, the number of mountain men chronicled in this book is limited. So, if you are looking for a good primer on individual mountain men, then maybe "The Mountain Men" by Laycock would be a better place to start. Otherwise, this is an excellent book and not as dry as some of the books on individual mountain men.
The Mountain Men .......2006-08-08
Never have so few lived such adventurous lives! During the era of the Mountain Men, lasting from 1806 to 1843, a few hundred Americans trapped or traded for beaver in the Rocky Mountains. Blevins tells the romantic story of some of these men, especially those who made their living around the northern Rockies in Wyoming, Utah, and Montana.
The famous stories about the Mountain Men are told here: John Colter's run, Hugh Glass's encounter with a grizzly, Jedediah Smith's long overland journeys to California, the peregrinations of Jim Bridger. The lives, customs, and tortured language of the Mountain Men, including the debauchery of rendevous and the joys of Indian women and gorging on buffalo meat are well described. The author celebrates the Mountain Men and if you're not familar with the era and its heroes this is a good place to start -- although with the understanding that you're not getting the whole story. The fur trappers of the Southwest, including Ewing Young and Kit Carson, are scarcely mentioned. Nor do the British competitors of the Americans receive their due. But the untamed West in all its pristine glory is well-described in "Give your Heart to the Hawks."
From the vast literaturee about the Mountain Men. "Across the Wide Missouri" by Bernard DeVoto is probably the (difficult and irritating) classic of the genre.
Smallchief
The Alumni of Rocky Mountain College.......2005-06-18
Winfred Blevins' `Give Your Heart to the Hawks' is exactly what its sub title claims - a tribute to the Mountain Men. It is neither a historical novel nor a pure history. Rather, it is accurate history, albeit with Blevins' interpretation of the thoughts and emotions that the mountain men were experiencing during some of their most dangerous and daring exploits added. This technique removes the book from the roles of strict history, but works well in creating the tribute that the author intended, for his goal was not simply to chronicle the bones of their history, but to bring to life their wild and free existence and allow the reader to enter into the spirit of the mountain man's life.
Blevins does not attempt a comprehensive account of the mountain men. Some are covered extensively, like John Colter, the prototype mountain man, Jim Bridger, and Jed Smith, the most atypical and perhaps greatest of the mountain men. Others, like Old Bill Williams, Joe Walker, and Kit Carson are barely covered or mentioned only in passing. Blevins does not cover the mountain men of the southwest at all. Instead, he illuminates his chosen subjects in depth, choosing to fully explore the life that the mountain men lived rather than broadly covering the entire scope of their collective history.
To recreate the wild drama of the mountain man's life, Blevins tells some of the most thrilling tales of the era, like John Colter's desperate naked run from Indian braves pursuing him for sport, Hugh Glass' amazing solo trek through 300 miles of wilderness without weapons or any tools for survival after being left for dead when mauled by a grizzly, or Jed Smith's daring crossings of the desert and mountains to find a land route to California. He writes of these men, "Any man who survived for several years as a trapper, taking responsibility for his own survival alone in the wilds, had been schooled thoroughly by the Rocky Mountains. ...He had graduated from Rocky Mountain College, a pragmatic university that gave no degrees, but flunked men into their graves." Between the various stories of specific mountain men, he includes interludes that detail important aspects of their life and trade - trapping, yarning, rendezvous, buffalo - cuisine premiere, mountain craft, mountain mating, and trappers and Indians are a few of the interesting subjects of mountain life dealt with in these interludes. He also includes a few colorful accounts written by the rare, literate mountain man detailing their unique life. He succeeds admirably in breathing life into this too often neglected period of amazing individuals who blazed the way for the westward expansion of the American nation.
While Blevins' writing is not always stellar, he manages to create an effective and stirring tribute to the wild individuals who chose to live free in the Rocky Mountains. No one who is interested in the period should miss it. Both students of the period of the mountain men and fur trade and those looking for a good introduction to the subject will find `Give Your Heart to the Hawks' a fascinating and rewarding reading experience.
Theo Logos
A gem.......2004-12-27
Blevins exhibits that rare and talented writing ability of blending human feelings and emotions with documented historical literature.
The author breathes life into the many fur trappers who romped and stomped their way west of the Missouri in search of beaver pelts and the ensuing exploration efforts thereof, from the early 1800's to the trade's demise in 1840.
The reader senses the anguish and pain of John Colter as he outruns the Blackfeet; feels the torment and frustrations of Jedediah Smith losing scores of trappers to hostile Indians, along with his relentless and scrupulous efforts to locate water in the deserts during the course of his expeditions; the incredible doggedness of Hugh Glass out surviving the most famous grizzly attack known to western literature and numerous other accounts of survival (and non survival) in this time frame.
Jim Bridger, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Robert Campbell, the Sublette brothers, the missionaries, ups and downs of the fur trade, intense competition between the fur companies, Indian antagonisms and friendships, it's all here. Blevins puts you in their shoes (moccasins).
A wonderful read.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent historical novel.......2007-07-23
The author has put together from varying pieces of history the story of a true mountain man whose legend is grown to larger than life. The early west was a brutal and harsh environment, not the romantic scenes that are painted in most novels. This is a good glimpse into the reality of the time and the people who shaped the country as we know it today.
Definitely not the movie...but still a good read........2006-10-27
If you've watched "Jeremiah Johnson" and enjoyed it, then you should take some time and read the book that spawned the movie. But be forewarned, the movie takes a few liberties here and there and if (that's a big if) the book is generally true, then the chronology of many things in the movie aren't correct. You could say that the movie is like a radio-friendly death metal song...a little missing here and there but you get the overall picture. I loved the movie and I admit the authors of the book seem to stretch the truth a little, but it's still a good read. I can only laugh at the politically incorrect accusations made in other reviews. Things were a lot different back then on both sides of the fence and I really don't think many mountain men nor American Indians went around feeling warm and fuzzy about their fair and balanced treatment of all of mankind. In fact, if you read other historical accounts of this period, you will find that the relationship between trapper and most American Indian tribes was most likely more honorable than the realtionship that the tribes would have with Indian agents, missionaries, and other traders (look up germ warfare). In fact, Christian missionaries were more deadly to the tribes and their culture than many of the so-called politically incorrect mountain men. The big-screen version of Johnson would most likely cower if he met the book version of Johnson. Overall, a good read.
Mountain man.......2006-03-19
I was amazed with the story of this man. Thorp was careful to research the book, but this resulted in a dry read. The book "Mountain Man" was a much more interesting read but did not reveal the true nature of Johnson. Thorp did. I have lived in these mountains and plains for 40 years and that made the book very interesting. I have been to many of the places in the book. Worth reading.
It ain't the movie.......2005-08-09
This is an unusual book with lots of interesting stories but probably requires a specialty audience. The writing style is very different from your standard novel. It is a collection of stories taken down from people who were with John Johnson and then arranged basically in as cronological an order as possible or arranged by topic. For someone who is mountainman buff or is otherwise familiar with the historic time period, it is a great insight into the life and hardships of these men and women. One of the characteristics of many westerners was the art of understatement and that shows up in the retelling of these stories and so reading between the lines is helpful. As a history teacher, I enjoyed the book. If you are looking for a romantic extention of the movie "Jeramiah Johnson," this ain't it.
Jeremiah Johnson was a wimp!.......2005-08-02
The movie "Jeremiah Johnson" found some of its inspiration and history in the true life adventures of John "Liver-Eatin'" Johnston. As tough as Jeremiah was, he can barely hold a candle to the tough mountain man who ate the livers of his vanquished foes.
The feats of survival, tracking, and hunting boggle the mind. While the authors draw from oral history (and perhaps have been taken in with some broad embellishments), the remarkable vengeance Johnston extracts from the Crow tribe for the death of his wife and unborn child is staggering. The Crows, troubled by Johnston's relentless vengeance, dispatch 20 warriors on a mission to find and kill the tribe's nemesis. Over a period that spanned over a decade the solitary Crows fall to Johnston. He killed them all.
This is not a book for the politically correct...the book originally appeared in the 1940s. Don't expect to confront descriptions of other races that include hyphens.
For those who have read the Dan O'Brien books, THE CONTRACT SURGEON and THE INDIAN AGENT, there is a reference to Valentine T. McGillycuddy. For fans of the HBO Original Series DEADWOOD, "Colorado" Charlie Utter warrants several mentions.
An interesting read for those who harbor any admiration for the real pioneers.
Book Description
They called it The Arctic Circle War. It was a manhunt the likes of which we will never see again. The quarry, Albert Johnson, was a loner working a string of traps in the far reaches of Canada's Northwest Territories, where winter temperatures average forty degrees below zero.
The chase began when a Mountie came to ask Johnson about allegations that he had interfered with a neighbor's trap. No questions were asked. Johnson shot Officer Millen dead through a hole in the wall of his log cabin. A vicious firefight ensued. When the Mounties returned with reinforcements, Johnson was gone, and The Arctic Circle War had begun.
It was a forty-eight-day odyssey across the harshest terrain in the world. On Johnson's heels were a corps of Mounties and an irregular posse on dogsled, supplied by airplanes dropping food. Johnson, on snowshoes, seemed superhuman in his ability to evade capture. The chase stretched for hundreds of miles, and during a blizzard crossed the Richardson Mountains, the northernmost extension of the Rockies. It culminated in the historic shootout at Eagle River.
There will never be another chase like it.
Customer Reviews:
Canada, Please Let Dick North finish his quest.......2004-11-20
Awesome read, very well written with plenty of facts to back up Mr. North's work. You appreciate his passion for a definitive answer to who A.Johnson truely was. It is sad that the Canadian's refused to solve the mystery. Nevertheless, I am one of the believer's John Johnson was the Mad Trapper.
Where' the justice?.......2003-11-05
Thes is a very interesting story.It is well written and well researched.It was also done by Rudy Weibe and Thomas P.Kelley.
Kelley also wrote "the Black Donnellys".His style was much different;more along the lines of a Pulp fiction writer;where the story is essentially the same,but greatly embellished with fictional conversation,descriptions of events and details whenever needed to tell the story as excitedly as possible.
In Johnson's Case, he had every right to refuse entry to someone without a warrant.It may not have been smart on his part,and no doubt really angered the law.So on the return visit the law was going to get him regardless;blow him away if necessary (they were armed and equipped with explosives to do it).What Johnson's mental state was ,who knows,except those who came to get him;and they tried.Don't forget they really had nothing on him at this point except their pride was damaged because of his resisting. What really happened ;there,s only their side of the story. At this point Johnson was in a no win situation and the law knew it,and so did he.I remind you again,the law was in total control when they set off this chain of events.
In the case of the Black Donnellys ;they opened their door to the demand of a constable and posse and 4 defenseless people were murdered and their home burned down on top of them.
These are two very sad stories in Canadian history ;neither one resolved,but both deserve to be known.
Without books like these, stories like these, would be swept under the carpet.
This is real history;not the stuff about trappers exploring a river in a canoe and asking students what they were called.
This brings to mind what a War Correspondant once said;
"Don't believe a politician or anyone in uniform."
Rat River Trapper: Mad or Misanthropic?.......2003-06-09
It was a bitterly cold December 26, 1931 when four members of the RCMP approached the small cabin of a mysterious trapper named Albert Johnson. There sole intent was to question Johnson about a complaint made by a neighbouring trapper concerning traps that had been tampered with. But without a word, the trapper fired upon the constables, injuring one. Shortly thereafter, Johnson had disappeared into the bush, thus instigating an epic manhunt that would last close to fifty days, and span some 150 miles.
Forty years later, author Dick North set out to document the story, and, more importantly, try and cast light on the identity of the mysterious Albert Johnson. Relying heavily on eye-witness accounts, North pieces together an interesting, sometimes rivetting story. But admittedly, there are limitations, and in the end, much is left to conjecture.
North concludes that Albert Johnson was more than likely a man who also went by the name of Arthur Nelson, and who for seven years prior to his death supposedly trapped and prospected in northern Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Alway quiet and "non-commital" this Arthur Nelson came and went mysteriously, and exhibited traits quite similar to that of the Mad Trapper.
Although disdained by some--especially women, around whom he evidently was extremely shy--many were understanding of his peculiar loner idiocincricies. But, provided that this Arthur Nelson is in fact Albert Johnson--which appears to be fairly likely--he apparently grew increasingly paranoid and suspicious of people. All of which led people to believe that he was hiding something. And as is always the case, there is much speculation as to what it was.
The author addresses this at the end of the book, but given that there is little evidence to work with, it's left to the reader to decide: was he a murderer, illegal immigrant, or simply a misanthrope caught up in events beyond his control?
All and all, a very interesting book and thrilling read, but in order to get the fully story--supposedly--of who the Mad Trapper was, one has to read Trackdown, which was published in 1989.
Trackdown is the result of twenty-odd years of North's obsessive research into the identity of the Mad Trapper. In the first part of the book, North addresses several theories of who the Mad Trapper could have been, but in each case he manages to uncover evidence that dismiss these individuals.
The turning point in his hunt comes when he was contacted by the North Dakota State Historical Society. As it turns out, there is a small article in a county history stating that the Mad Trapper may have in fact been a man by the name of Johnny Johnson.
Born Johan Konrad Jonsen in Norway in 1898, Johnson had emigrated to the USA with his parent at the age of six. Life in Dakota was a constant struggle and brought the family little gain, so at a young age Johnson reverted to crime. This resulted in several prison sentences before finally in 1923 he disappeared, presumably heading north into Canada.
Initially, I was very skeptical about this theory; to me, there was little resemblence between the three mug shots of Johnny Johnson, the 1930 Ross River photo showing Arthur Nelson and the pictures of the dead Mad Trapper. But as I read on, North did put together a compelling argument, and the more I read and the more I studied the pictures, the more plausable it all became. Interestingly, the Johnson family had in fact been in contact with the RCMP several years after the incident; Johnson's mother, having seen the picture of the Mad Trapper, was certain that he was her son. But the RCMP dismissed this claim, as it did all other such claims, leaving the mystery unsolved.
While North's argument seems plausable, I was still left with a nagging sense of doubt. While his evidence is compelling, it is far from conclusive and could quite easily be picked apart by someone with the time and resources to do so. One way to solve the matter would of course be to exhume the Mad Trapper and take DNA samples and conduct other forensic tests. North, believing that the body would still be in reasonably good shape, attempted to do this; but these efforts were stymied by the locals.
So although North presents a compelling argument for Johnny Johnson being the Mad Trapper, the case is not closed. The myth lives on.
AbbbsoLUUUUTely RRRRRiveting!!.......2002-03-04
Could NOT put the book down. Was on vacation up IN the Yukon riding on the Yukon Queen DOWN the Yukon River. And probably missed lots of great scenery because was reading this book. Read it in less than 24 hours. What a great writing style and format!!
One, after reading it, should then see the Charles Bronson/Lee Marvin move about it... The book of course gives alot more details and background but the movie is great too.
Reading the book makes you want to go out and buy a bowie knife and build a cabin!
A Northern Blockbuster.......2002-02-05
This book has been a big seller for many years... and the inspiration for motion pictures such as CHALLENGE TO BE FREE. No one knew who the "Mad Trapper" was til author Dick North tracked him down -- all spelled out in this and a later book,"Trackdown." You'll thrill to this tale of a powerful but desperate human being who led the Canadian Mounties in an incredible chase through the lofty Richardson Mountains in the dead of winter.
The Mad Trapper was the inspiration for still another book about the frozen north -- MARK OF THE WHITE WOLF, an e-book out of Blue Knight Enterprises in Hyde Park, NY.
Book Description
Popular fly-fishing guide Trapper Badovinac (Fly Fishing Montana's Missouri River) presents cutting-edge techniques for finding, evaluating, and fishing small streams so anglers can discover and enjoy their own fly-fishing solitude.
Customer Reviews:
Photography Matches Narrative in Excellence.......2007-01-12
It isn't often that a fly fishing book offers both outstanding photography and narrative at the same high levels of excellence, but Badovinac provides unparalled descriptions in both forms. It is a tabletop gem and a wonderful reference at the same time. In a word, it's a treasure.
What every nature lover should know.......2006-07-19
I don't even fish, but I bought the book for the beautiful stories and photos. As I got into the book, I found out that it was so much more than a collection of stories and photos. There's info about navigation that everyone who hikes, wanders, fishes, hunts, or just loves nature should read. Do you know the steps to take if you're lost? Do you know how to navigate, whether it's light or dark? Don't you think you should? And you can with this book.
The value of the navigation info led me to view Trapper's other book, Fly Fishing Montana's Missouri River. Guess what--he gave us something similar there-- what we should all know about etiquette. No, not table manners--outdoor manners. The ones you wish everyone else would follow. Let's start by learning and following them ourselves.
The ONLY book that speaks to todays Flyfishing Experiance.......2006-07-16
Even if you have been fishing for Thirty years I gaurentee that this book will change; where, when and how you fly fish like no other. Professionals and recreational fly fishers alike will count this book a one of their most prized Fly fishing tools posessions. It is the only book on fishing that I have read cover to cover in one sitting. At times Trappers story telling had me laughing out loud, his tales speak to the reasons we love the sport, but most of all he is unparalelled in organizing and presenting a life time dedicated to flyfishing in a way that will de-mystify the reasons for succsess or failure and transform your personal experiance of Fly Fishing in practical terms.
Never has this much technical information been presented inter mixed with true life stories and stunning photograpy in such a way that will change your approach to Fly Fishing and your
experiance of the places it brings you forever.
Trapper knows solitude.......2006-07-15
I started flyfishing, alone, many years ago. I tie flies commercially and am a guide. Trapper has captured the essance of why we fish, and why, sometimes, why we NEED to be alone, male or female. I've known Trapper for MANY years and have swapped flies and lies... and MANY fun days on the river with him. Know this ....Trap's book captures WHY WE ARE WHO WE ARE. Knowing Trapper and his philosify has changed how I view the world and my perceptions in many ways!
Dan
Awesome book - Great photos.......2006-07-15
A fantastic book for fly-fishing enthusiasts! Also a beautiful coffee table book if you just enjoy great stories and gorgeous photography. This is a great resource for finding your own piece of water away from the crowds.
Book Description
The traps, snares and pathguards detailed here can be constructed out of the most basic materials, keeping your expenses down and your net profits up. Includes pest snares, large animal snares, and transplant traps, plus camp alarms that alert you to intruders and deadly pathguards that could save your life.
Customer Reviews:
Looking out the window at those rabbits.......2007-09-14
Ok, so I was looking out the window and watching these rabbits hop by and got to wondering how one would go about catching one. It just seemed like something that one really ought to know, just in case...
So I ordered this book and it was exactly what I was looking for. I enjoyed the author's style and practicality. Probably won't ever use this information, but now I think I know exactly how to catch that rabbit if I needed to. Of course it might take me a few trys and that rabbit may be more warry than it looks, but at least I'd know where to start.
Now I'll have to find a good book on skinning and cooking rabbits, just in case... ;)
A lot of information.......2007-07-26
This book has more information on traps than any other book I have read. The instructions are clear and there are plenty of diagrams.
A wealth of knowledge.......2006-12-08
The title to this book is somewhat misleading. It is not a trapper's bible. This book covers do-it-yourself snares, homemade box traps and path guards. However, it covers these topics better than I have ever seen before. I learned more about these topics in the 1 1/2 hours it took me to read this book than I did in 4 years of online research/fooling around, etc.
The basics of snaring are explained extremely well. The illustrations are wonderful and more than adequatly explain every point. Many of his tricks and sets of snares are so clever you wonder why you never though of them.
His box trap plans are pure genius and wonderfully explained. I havent found another source for such amazing trap plans or ideas.
Basically, this book will teach you everything you need to know about snaring. The only thing it leaves out is instructions on what to use to attract and where to set(with some exceptions). He does explain some but not much, it's generally common sense (although you can never assume things like that).
IF YOU ARE GETTING INTO SNARING OR JUST WANTING TO HAVE SOME FUN, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK. IT WILL GIVE YOU A PROVERBIAL "CRASH COURSE" IN SNARING
FIVE OF FIVE STARS
Trapper's Bible: Traps, Snares and Pathguards.......1999-12-10
An excellent source for the complete novice. Martin's work is clear, complete and even humorous. As someone who did not even know the difference between a trap or a snare, I can highly recommend this book as a first step in finding out. The illustrations are flawless. I am someone mildly concerned about the impact of Y2K and this book was a wealth of information on being able to provide meat for yourself in the event of emergencies. Happy reading!
A solid outdoor action author!.......1999-07-05
I have read all of Mr. Martin's books and I highly recommend them. Trapper's Bible is excellent as well as Into The Primitive, both of which are available here at Amazon.com (a great book store I also recommend!) I also heartily recommend THE SHOT by Dale Martin which details the most talked about long range sniper shot of the Civil War. It is available at AOL Hometown with keyword "sniper". Great work, Dale !
Book Description
Young Sam Morgan, the Pennsylvania runaway and now a seasoned Rocky Mountain trapper, joins a brigade led by Jedediah Smith, greatest mountain man of them all, heading west for the Mexican province of Alta California.
With Sam on this dangerous mission into unexplored territory are his beloved Crow wife Meadowlark and a polyglot host of multi-national fur hunters, Ute and Shoshone Indians. The journey south to the Colorado River and across the Mojave Desert is harrowing: game rare or nonexistent, water a rarity, strange bands of naked Indians, the hammering sun, all in a godforsaken land of sand and scrub.
Sam Morgan’s life changed unalterably when the pregnant Meadowlark falls ill as the brigade makes its way through Mojave country. In an emergency push west he is able to bring her safely into the California coastal town of Monterey but there faces the greatest crisis of his life – the death of the only woman he has ever loved.
Customer Reviews:
Nice read.......2007-03-09
Enjoyable journey and you gain a new view on the "fathers of the country"
OK, until Meadowlark died!!.......2006-05-09
I thought the book was great until Meadowlark died in childbirth. After that reading it was never the same. But it was still a good book. Beauty for Ashes and So Wild A Dream were much better.
Product Description
In 1929, at the age of 24, Elliott Merrick left his position as an advertising executive in New Jersey and headed up to Labrador to work as an unpaid volunteer for the Grenfell Mission. In 1933 he wrote True North about his experiences in the northern wilderness, living and working with trappers, Indians and with the nurse he met and married in a remote community. The book describes the hard work and severe conditions, along with the joy and friendship he and his wife experienced.Merricks account of life in a harsh and unforgiving land is a tribute to the hardiness and generosity of the people whose life he shared. His vividly evocative prose stimulates the imagination such that the reader becomes a participant in the exhausting struggles and profound joys of the trail. An absolute masterpiece.Herb Pohl, retired history professor and solo canoeist who has paddled extensively in the Canadian North.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent tale..........2007-03-19
I read some of the previous reviews before getting this and some were positive and some negative...I have to say I was very much pleased with the book, excellent story and tale with local dialogue to add an element of adventure and flair. I just really enjoyed the story and to see the hardships people faced...
If only I had lived then.......2006-08-29
This book will transcend you to a time and place that makes you feel at peace with nature. Merrick's writing is like poetry in motion. You will wish you could have been there to experience the times when he is at one with the universe. The people and places he is writing about no longer exist, which is the greatest pity of all.
A great read for lovers of the Canadian North.......2006-07-23
A fascinating book! A well written account by a man who traveled extensively in the Canadian North in the 1930s, just as the traditional remoteness that had characterized that world was ending with the introduction of planes and other technologies. Merrick was a keen and sympathetic friend of the North, its history and its Native peoples.
Books:
- Necessary Losses: The Loves, Illusions, Dependencies, and Impossible Expectations That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow
- O'Hurley's Return: Skin Deep\Without A Trace
- Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World
- Password to Larkspur Lane (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, No 10)
- Proactive Sales Management: How to Lead, Motivate, and Stay Ahead of the Game
- Protector of the Flight (The Summoning, Book 3) (Luna Books)
- Ramona and Her Father (Avon Camelot Books)
- Rogue Threat
- Route 66 Lost & Found: Ruins and Relics Revisited
- Secondhand Bride (McKettrick Cowboys Trilogy #3)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Jesus at the Movies: A Guide to the First Hundred Years
- Bobbi Brown Living Beauty
- Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology / Volume 131
- The Smell of the Night
- Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years
- Astronomy Today
- Absolute Beginner's Guide to Home Schooling
- The Visual Mind II
- The Big Pig Gig: Celebrating Pigs in the City
- The Long Road Home: The Autobiography of a Canadian Soldier in Italy in Wwii
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson (Midland Book)
Jim Bridger: Mountain Man
The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man
Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West (Bison Book)
The Mountain Men: The Dramatic History and Lore of the First Frontiersmen
