Habit of Rivers

Starred review from February 28, 1994
Of all sports, fishing has the richest literature and, in number of titles, seemingly the most of any hobby save chess. This volume outshines all recent entries. As an English professor at Oregon State University, Leeson is amply qualified to write a literate angling book, but his lambent, fluid prose, graced with wit and warmth, far transcends such concepts as qualification. ``The craft of angling is the catching of fish. But the art of angling is a responsiveness . . . letting one thing lead to another until . . . you realize some small completeness.'' These essays are small, elegant completions opening windows to the rivers of the Pacific Northwest (mostly eastern Oregon's Columbia River Basin). In a flyfisher's dialect, Leeson tells an angler's story with the full-throated voice of a naturalist. Those who wonder what it is they're really after out there in the stream will find the answer here. Leeson's work belongs on the shelf next to that of Annie Dillard, John McPhee, Barry Lopez and others of their stripe (and speckle).

February 1, 1994
"The fishing here is invariably superb; always, it's the catching that's up for grabs." Such is the refreshing, sometimes humorous, always gracefully expressed philosophy of Leeson. He believes that fly fishing can take one outside oneself and help one develop new ways of seeing. Leeson fishes as much as 100 days a year; writes for Field & Stream, Fly Rod & Reel, and other magazines; teaches English; ties flies; and knows the literature of the field. Yet this is not a how-to, or what-with, but rather a passionate celebration of the attractions of rivers, trout, and fishing. As in Howell Raines's Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis ( LJ 9/15/93), the arts of angling, writing, and living are blended. Public and academic libraries should acquire this fine book.-- Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

February 1, 1994
Here's a fly fisher who, for once, has not forgotten his roots. Most anglers of his type tend to dwell on midge hatches, the glories of the days and nights spent in search of fish, and the glittering sun on the shimmering, crystal-clear waters. Leeson, contrariwise, admits with a certain glee that his early fishing consisted of a cane pole, a can of worms, and fish no self-respecting adult angler would admit to catching. This "is" a book by a fly fisher, though, one whose goal is to catch trout and whose method is to use flies. The matter of fly-fishing, trout, and flowing waters constitutes ground so well trod that it's nearly a morass of cliches, but Leeson manages to make his foray into the watery field an entertaining read. Anyone with the itch to angle can relate to the chapter in which Leeson drives for days in search of new waters and new fish, a chapter that alone makes the book worthwhile reading, no matter what your gear or quarry. ((Reviewed Feb. 1, 1994))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1994, American Library Association.)