Tales of the Mountain Men: Seventeen Stories of Survival, Exploration, and Frontier Spirit

Lamar Underwood (Editor)

Long the dominant icon embodying the spirit of America's frontier past, the image of the cowboy no longer stands alone as the ultimate symbol of independence and self-reliance. The great canvas of the western landscape-in art, books, film-is today shared by the figures called "Mountain Men." They were the trappers of the Rocky Mountain fur trade in the years following Lewis and Clark's Expedition of 1804-1806. With their bold journeys peaking, during the period of 1830-1840, they were the first white men to enter the vast wilderness reaches of the Rockies in search of beaver "plews," as the skins were called. They feasted on the abundant buffalo, elk and other game, while living the ultimate free-spirited wilderness life. Often they paid the ultimate price for their ventures under the arrows, tomahawks, and knives of those native Americans whose lands they had entered.

Tales of the Mountain Men, presents in one book many of the most engaging and revealing portraits of mountain men ever written. Ranging from nonfiction classics like Bernard DeVoto's Across the Wide Missouri through fiction from such acclaimed novels as A. B. Guthrie Jr.'s The Big Sky, this collection is destined to be well appreciated by the huge and dedicated audience fascinated by mountain man lore and legend. These readers include many who today participate in reenactments of the mountain man "Rendezvous," with colorful costumes and competitions of traditional skills with authentic guns, knives, and tools.

No book exists today with such a diverse and engaging collection of mountain man literature. For an already-large and still-growing audience, Tales of the Mountain Men will be a valued extension of their interest in the mountain man as a compelling and uniquely American figure.

The Duck Hunter's Book: Classic Waterfowl Stories

Lamar Underwood (Editor)

Anything can happen on a duck-hunting trip. A good marsh or bay is just an adventure waiting to unfold. It's part of what makes duck hunting the sport of dreams, tales, and paintings-what sustains the duck hunter's efforts to cope with the sport's considerable logistics of guns, gear, boats, and dogs. The duck hunter is part of a magnificent and ever-changing tapestry of land, water, and skies, alive with the stirrings of elemental nature.

This is a book about that tapestry. Included in this volume are some of the finest musings on duck hunting, by some of the sport's most beloved authors, including: .

"Wings and Water, Guns and Dogs" by Ed Zern . "This Mania Called Duck Hunting" by Ted Trueblood . "Portrait of a Sweet-Water Marsh" by Robert Elman . "Duck Blinds" by Charles F. Waterman . "What is a Duck Hunter?" by Charley Dickey . "North Again" by John Madson . "Have Ducks the Power of Scent?" by Ray P. Holland . "Canada and the Provinces" by Raymond R. Camp . "Ice, Ducks, and Good Strong Rye" by Martin Bovey . "The Susquehanna Flats" by Norris E. Pratt . "And Keep Your Powder Dry" by Colin Willcock . "Skyful of Bright Wings" by Russell Annabel . "Bait: The Use of Corn" by Harry M. Walsh . "Duck Talk" by Jim Rikhoff . and dozens of others

It's great reading, and it might improve your duck-hunting skills, too.

Classic Hunting Stories

Lamar Underwood (Editor)

For hunters, listening to the accounts of kindred spirits recalling the drama and action that go with good days afield ranks among life's most pleasurable activities. Here, then, are some of the best hunting tales ever written, stories that sweep from charging lions in the African bush to mountain goats in the mountain crags of the Rockies; from the gallant bird dogs of the Southern pinelands to the great Western hunts of Theodore Roosevelt.

This collection of stories captures the very soul of hunting, with contributions from: Lt. Col. J. M. Patterson, D.S. O., Theodore Roosevelt, Nash Buckingham, Archibald Rutledge, Zane Grey, Lieutenant Townsend Whelen, Harold McCracken, Irvin S. Cobb, Edwin Main Post, Sir Richard Dane, Horace Kephart, Ivan Turgenev, Francis Parkman ,William T. Hornaday, Sc.D, Rex Beach.

Settle into an armchair, and let the expedition begin.