My Latest Book: Along the Water’s Edge

For several few years I have been kicking around the idea of self-publishing a book. Well I finally got it done. My latest book is entitled Along the Water’s Edge. It is a 6×9 hardbound book of approximately 190 pages,

Along the Water’s Edge offers the reader a variety of things, all brought together by fly-fishing. The first section of the book, affords a look into the lives of people who held a special passion for the sport. They include: Jack Gartside- fly tyer extraordinaire; legendary baseball player Ted Williams; Nelson Bryant – whose outdoor column ran for decades in the New York Times; Harold Gibbs -considered by many to be the father of striped bass on a fly; Homer Rhode Jr.- the mysterious loner who carved a special path in the earliest day of southern saltwater fly fishing; and Frank Woolner – the founder of Saltwater Sportsman.

I spent decades observing, and fly-fishing the New England coast. In the middle section of the book, I share that hard-earned knowledge with you. It is a treasure trove for the coastal fly rodder. It offers, for instance, the secrets behind catching big striped bass from the beach. You’ll heard how wind direction influences fishing, season by season. You’ll gain valuable insights into, and angling methods for two of the most sought after game fish -Atlantic bonito, and false albacore. Through my eyes, you’ll witness the rich predator-prey relation between sand eels and striped bass. While discovering how to put that connection to good use. From the rocky coast of Rhode Island, you”ll learn about bay anchovies; and how their presence fuels fall fishing. And the book gives an in-depth look at retrieve styles and speeds. and how to employ them in a wide variety of conditions.

In the last section of Along the Water’s Edge, there is a series of fly-fishing short stories. Most are humorous. Others serious. All of them drawn on my personal angling experiences, and my love of the great outdoors.

Title Page

Now lets take a quick look inside the book. This time around I’m responsible for all the page layout and design. So I tried my best, believe me, to make this book not only a good read, but an attractive effort as well.

To the left is the title page. As you can see, I’ve done some artwork for the book. These are simple, fun, B&W drawings that help dress up the interior space.

You’ll also find the artwork used as chapter headings. Here again it adds some character to the book. The photograph to the left is an example. And the artwork is also in a few places on the dust jacket.

While front of the book provides plenty to read, I’m proudest of the final section. It contains fly-fishing short stories. This style of writing is relatively  new to me, but I really enjoy the creative freedom it allows.

I hope you find this book of interest. There are only 400 print copies in the run. It is available by check through this website by dropping me an email to e.mitchell6@yahoo.com. The price is $29.95, plus postage. Priority mail is now $10.00 Sounds crazy but that’s the bitter truth, my friend. I can send it media mail for about half that cost, but it is slow in many zip codes. Shipping outside the USA will be more expensive. Books are signed and inscribed upon request. Checks should be made out to me.

It is available by credit card from  The Angling Bookstore , (ISBN 978-0-692-27077-6)