Casting a Spell: The Bamboo Fly Rod and the American Pursuit of Perfection
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Product Description
Thirty-five million Americans–one in eight–like to go fishing. Fly fishers have always considered themselves the aristocracy of the sport, and a small number of those devotees, a few thousand at most, insist upon using one device in the pursuit of their obsession: a handcrafted split-bamboo fly rod. Meeting this demand for perfection are the inheritors of a splendid art, one that reveres tradition while flouting obvious economic sense and reaches back through time to touch the hands of such figures as Theodore Roosevelt and Henry David Thoreau.
In Casting a Spell, George Black introduces readers to rapt artisans and the ultimate talismans of their uncompromising fascination: handmade bamboo fly rods. But this narrative is more than a story of obscure objects of desire. It opens a new vista onto a century and a half of modern American cultural history. With bold strokes and deft touches, Black explains how the ingenuity of craftsmen created a singular implement of leisure–and how geopolitics, economics, technology, and outrageous twists of fortune have all come to focus on the exquisitely crafted bamboo rod. We discover that the pastime of fly-fishing intersects with a mind-boggling variety of cultural trends, including conspicuous consumption, environmentalism, industrialization, and even cold war diplomacy.
Black takes us around the world, from the hidden trout streams of western Maine to a remote valley in Guangdong Province, China, where grows the singular species of bamboo known as tea stick–the very stuff of a superior fly rod. He introduces us to the men who created the tools and techniques for crafting exceptional rods and those who continue to carry the torch in the pursuit of the sublime. Never far from the surface are such overarching themes as the tension between mass production and individual excellence, and the evolving ways American society has defined, experienced, and expressed its relationship to the land.
Fly-fishing may seem a rarefied pursuit, and making fly rods might be a quixotic occupation, but this rich, fascinating narrative exposes the soul of an authentic part of America, and the great significance of little things. George Black’s latest expedition into a hidden corner of our culture is an utterly enchanting, illuminating, and enlightening experience.
Spotlight Customer Reviews:
Summary:
An American History of the Bamboo Rod
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Comment:
Very well written history of the evolution of the bamboo fly rod craft beginning in mid 20th century America. My greatest disapointment (as in with some singer/song writers) is Mr. Black has a penchant to remind us he is a liberal democrat. I fact I could have lived without. I mean really, who cares?
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Summary:
Casting a Spell: The Bamboo Fly Rod and the American Pursuit of Perfection
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Comment:
The book is a modern day classic, even if you have never fished with a bamboo rod the book is still well worth reading. In writing this book George Black offers us all a valuable insight into the history of the craft and the lives of the rod builders as bamboo rod building goes from niche to mainstream and back to niche again. The bamboo rod builders dedication to their art and craft is at odds with todays "instant throw it away society" and this book serves as an important reminder of their quest for perfection.
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Summary:
Fun, informative book
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Comment:
This is a terrific book. It covers the history and personalities that shaped the evolution of the craft of bamboo fly rod making.
I bought this book thinking it would be informative, and it was. What was pleasantly surprising was how interesting and fun the book was to read. It gave me a real appreciation for the great bamboo rod makers and some insight into their lives. The author's careful research and enthusiasm for the subject matter is evident throughout. Highly recommended.
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Summary:
Marvelous Book!!!
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Comment:
George Black has written a most literary and enjoyable history of the bamboo fly fishing rod. Unhurried, with frequent fascinating digressions, he takes one through the history of the development of this remarkable sporting instrument, beginning in the mid 1800's and coming down to the present. He provides much color to persons whose names were all we knew before: Leanard, Edwards, Hawes, Thomas and more. A grand book by a great author. You will really enjoy this book, even if you are not a fly fisher.
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Summary:
Chasing the Perfect Dream
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Comment:
While the nominal subject of this book is the banboo fly rod, it's really about art. There are those who can look at the Mona Lisa and be enraptured. There are others who hear a piece of music and almost leave their bodies behind.
Then there are others who look at the Mona Lisa and see a picture not as good as a photograph, and to whom music is basically noise. (Of course to a lot of music lovers, that 'other kind' of music is just noise.)
This book goes a long way to explaining that there's another approach to art. The art of the bamboo fly rod 'casts a spell' on George Black. And as a professional writer he has the gift of words to explain just how it does. His poetic prose takes the reader from the technology and the reknown makers to little known streams across the country to make the perfect catch with the perfect rod. Will he ever reach the untimate? Of course not. Life is a journey not a destination.
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