Favorite Arnold Gingrich

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RymanType
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Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#1

Post by RymanType »

I have yet to read any of Arnold’s writings; however, my recent obsession with the Midge taper has lead me to this author.
1. What is your favorite Gingrich book?
2. Which book has the most detail about the Midge taper?

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creakycane
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#2

Post by creakycane »

Well-tempered has a chapter on Paul Young, including the midge. Joys of Trout has some on the Midge. Both are great.
Fishing in Print is also excellent, as is the Gordon Garland. I’d have a hard time to pick a favorite among the 4.

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bearbutt
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#3

Post by bearbutt »

I'm partial to The Well-Tempered Angler--it has my favorite fishing quotation, even though it's not really about fishing--it's in the chapter about his trip to Iceland: "It was mid August of '55, and I was between wives."

There are three other Gingrich books I really like a lot: Toys of a Lifetime (1976) narrates his fetishes for Bentleys, ocean liners, French hotels, and British pipes. A Thousand Mornings of Music (1966) describes another obsession: violins. He played almost every morning before work, and bought violin after violin and traded them in until he had worked his way up to his own Stradivarius. But his most important book is probably his history of the early days of Esquire: Nothing But People (1971). It is a magnificent mashup of stories and gossip and publishing history during the heyday of Chicago's love affair with the printed word.

Finally, there's The Joys of Trout--a wonderful miscellany of Gingrich's roving mind, at least as it focused on angling. There's an especially timely quotation in his chapter on A.J. McClane:

"For twenty-five years Al McClane had an office, but it was one where, if he showed up there, he was likely to be asked, "Why the hell aren't you out fishing?"  For common mortals who have an office, when they don't show up there, but have been out fishing instead, the question is, of course, "Where the hell have you been?" Obviously any man who can arrange to get that question reversed is just as much smarter as all the rest of us.”

Happy Labor Day & happy reading
bb

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Eperous
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#4

Post by Eperous »

bearbutt wrote:
09/04/22 13:43
I'm partial to The Well-Tempered Angler... bb
Me three...

Ed

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GerardH
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#5

Post by GerardH »

Eperous wrote:
09/04/22 19:23
bearbutt wrote:
09/04/22 13:43
I'm partial to The Well-Tempered Angler... bb
Me three...

Ed
We have a foursome.
RymanType wrote:
09/04/22 12:28

my recent obsession with the Midge taper has lead me to this author.
Funny you should say that...that's exactly what turned me onto Gingrich.

RymanType
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#6

Post by RymanType »

Well finally getting around to starting The Well-Tempered Angler and 3 chapters in it has not disappointed. I look forward to starting the next chapter each night after work.
Thanks for the suggestions for this book which I’m sure will lead to several more.

SalmoNewf
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#7

Post by SalmoNewf »

Keep going with the Gingrich books. They’re all good.

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Flyman615
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#8

Post by Flyman615 »

Here are two that I, too, have enjoyed:

* "A Thousand Mornings of Music" (Crown) and
* "Cast Down the Laurel" (Knopf)

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liketofish
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#9

Post by liketofish »

My mom had never fished in her life, but loved TWTA. I've read it three times. He love the Midge, hated the Bobby Doer, Para 15, the biggies. Gave them to some Icelandic guides, as I remember.

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Eric Peper
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#10

Post by Eric Peper »

This brings back memories . . . I had the good fortune during the short time I worked for Field & stream in the early '70s to spend a fair amount of time with both Mr. Gingrich and Al McClane. I always felt I was pretty much obsessed with fly fishing, but Gingrich redefined obsession. He fished just about every day year around before his commute into New York, and yes, he was equally obsessive about his violins AND his Rolls . He was a brilliant conversationalist on just about any subject . . . a feature he shared with his very good friend McClane. I spent a weekend fishing with McClane in the Catskills in about 1975 and learned more abut trout and fly fishing in that weekend than I had in the previous fifteen year of flailing about on my own. Thanks Ryman Type for reawakening these memories.

Eric
A mountain is a fact -- a trout is a moment of beauty known only to men who seek them
Al McClane in his Introduction to The Practical Fly Fisherman . . . often erroneously attributed to Arnold Gingrich

RymanType
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#11

Post by RymanType »

Eric
Thanks for sharing the personal experience with Mr Gingrich. Glad the thread brought back some fond memories.

splintered
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#12

Post by splintered »

And then there are just some book titles that are just perfect. "The Well Tempered Angler" is one of those, with the text worthy of the title.

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Eperous
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#13

Post by Eperous »

splintered wrote:
03/26/23 09:47
And then there are just some book titles that are just perfect. "The Well Tempered Angler" is one of those, with the text worthy of the title.
Agreed!

GMflyf1sh
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#14

Post by GMflyf1sh »

One of the members to sthis board had 4 talking books one of which was Arnold and his take on the Midge. Ernie Schweibert, Dan Lamb, and Art Flick were the other authors and did their own readings, I still enjoy them

Gregg

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gaddis
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#15

Post by gaddis »

GMflyf1sh wrote:
04/15/23 18:08
One of the members to sthis board had 4 talking books one of which was Arnold and his take on the Midge. Ernie Schweibert, Dan Lamb, and Art Flick were the other authors and did their own readings, I still enjoy them

Gregg
I listen to them all the time, while driving to fishing locations. The best of them, Lamb, Gingrich, and Flick. The worst. - Ed Zern.

Variant
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Re: Favorite Arnold Gingrich

#16

Post by Variant »

I also enjoy listening to the books on tape. My collection also includes Gierach and Leeson.
Lou
In sport, method is everything. The more the skill the method calls for, the higher its yield of emotional stir and satisfaction, the higher its place must be in a sportsman’s scale of values . RODERICK HAIG - BROWN

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