The complete, authorized biography of one of America's premier outdoor essayists and dog breeders. This book tells of the lives of George and Kay Evans, their life together at Old Hemlock, and of the founding and perpetuation of their world-famous line of Old Hemlock setters. George Bird Evans established a beautiful, stylish line of English setter bird dogs. In the 1950's, he began writing about gunning the uplands over his Old Hemlock setters, which became his legacy. Over the next four decades, Evans wrote for several major sporting magazines and completed 20 books, including the classic The Upland Shooting Life. Evans continued to write and hunt until his death in 1998 at the age of 91. His passionate and contemplative literary contribution to upland gunning has influenced both writers and hunters for decades. This book offers one of the most complete biographies ever written about any of the greats of sporting literature.

"Walter A. Lesser and Lisa M. Weisse detail the Rymans from their origins through the present day. Having bred and hunted wtih Ryman setters for more than 50 years, Lesser profiles the man George Ryman and how his breeding program used Laverack and Llewellin lines to create the ideal hunting setter. Lesser's gunning tales provide valuable insights into handling, training and hunting grouse and woodcock with setters. Weisse's thorough analysis of the historical record rewrites the history of the English setter."--

Collects stories by famous figures and writers on their relationships with hunting dogs, describing each contributor's forays into the outdoors at the side of a faithful canine companion, in a nostalgic tribute that includes pieces by such figures as Tom Brokaw, Rick Bass, and Chris Camuto.

Gathered here are many of the finest contemporary sporting writers: George Bird Evans, Charles Waterman, Gene Hill, Michael McIntosh, Jim Fergus, and many others. Each offers a story of his singular relationship with the dog (or dogs) that shaped his life. Leather-bound, numbered limited edition.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An essential volume for generations of writers young and old. The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of this modern classic will continue to spark creative minds for years to come. Anne Lamott is "a warm, generous, and hilarious guide through the writer’s world and its treacherous swamps" (Los Angeles Times). “Superb writing advice…. Hilarious, helpful, and provocative.” —The New York Times Book Review For a quarter century, more than a million readers—scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities—have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anne’s father—also a writer—in the iconic passage that gives the book its title: “Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Lakota Tradition -- 2. Lakota Practice -- 3. George Sword -- 4. Lakota Formulas -- 5. Textual Analysis -- 6. Lakota Theme -- 7. Traditional Implications -- Appendix 1: Narrative 1 and Literary Translation -- Appendix 2: Narrative 2 and Literary Translation -- Appendix 3: Narrative 3 and Literary Translation -- Appendix 4: Sun Dance Narrative andLiterary Translation -- Notes -- References -- Index

Memories of fall days in the coverts are brought alive again in this anthology of grouse hunting stories.