FrequentTyer
Member
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2009
- Messages
- 927
I read this book by accident. For a long time now I have been looking for a cheap copy of Polly Rosborough's "Tying and Fishing Fuzzy Nymphs." I finally found it at a very low price on one of the used book sites and had a 20% off coupon. But the cost of the book was less than the minimum to use the coupon (that's how they get ya). Anyway, I poked around for something to add and found Frank Soos' "Bamboo Fly Rod Suite."
I had seen this book before, but never could decide to pay $15 for a book of less than 80 pages. The price was right, so I grabbed it and it arrived just after Christmas. Based on the back cover, I was expecting a story about a guy who finds a restores an old bamboo rod. What I got instead was an unexpected surprise. On the surface, there is a guy and a bamboo rod, but there is an awful lot more going on here. I'm tempted to use words like philosophical or spiritual, but not in the way a lot of new age fly fishing nonsense pretends to be. The author has thought a lot about...well, a lot. It is not overbearing, and is really beautifully written. The closest thing I can remember reading is Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", but that is not quite right either.
It was impossible to read this book quickly. I had to stop and think about almost every sentence. In the end I learned nothing about bamboo rods or fishing, but spent a few enjoyable hours in a virtual conversation with a skilled writer.
I can't recommend paying full price for this little book, but if you find it used or can borrow it, it is a great read. Would love to hear from anyone else that got a chance to read this.
Mike.
I had seen this book before, but never could decide to pay $15 for a book of less than 80 pages. The price was right, so I grabbed it and it arrived just after Christmas. Based on the back cover, I was expecting a story about a guy who finds a restores an old bamboo rod. What I got instead was an unexpected surprise. On the surface, there is a guy and a bamboo rod, but there is an awful lot more going on here. I'm tempted to use words like philosophical or spiritual, but not in the way a lot of new age fly fishing nonsense pretends to be. The author has thought a lot about...well, a lot. It is not overbearing, and is really beautifully written. The closest thing I can remember reading is Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", but that is not quite right either.
It was impossible to read this book quickly. I had to stop and think about almost every sentence. In the end I learned nothing about bamboo rods or fishing, but spent a few enjoyable hours in a virtual conversation with a skilled writer.
I can't recommend paying full price for this little book, but if you find it used or can borrow it, it is a great read. Would love to hear from anyone else that got a chance to read this.
Mike.
