Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Reading a Rearden book

for about the 12th time. "Hunting Alaska's Far Places"

I never got to meet Jim, but enjoyed his work for a long time.
RIP Jim!

His grandson is a close friend of friends and I have spent a bit of time around him. Really solid lad with a big, big interest in hunting and fishing.

I got to meet Jim in '71 at his house just outside Seattle. Right on the water, floatplane out front. He was editor Alaska Magazine at the time and had published my father's writing a number of times. My father was impressed.

I love his chapter about a duck hunt at the head of Kachemak Bay, ducks were plunging in from thousands of feet up that day. He told a great story. I have several more of his books to get my hands on and read in the future!

In 1980 (or 81?) a friend an I Went down to do a little fishing at Homer. Evan's dad had their boat moored next to Jim's and we quickly figured out Jim was "entertaining" some associates on his boat. After a couple of minutes making the "Virgo" ready, Jim greeted and invited us over for a beer. We had need to get back home early the next morning so declined his offer and headed out. Caught a couple decent butt's and one nice sized skate. Slept later than we wanted and was woke by some cussing next door. Hit the deck and found Jim trying to get his aft dock line untangled and failing miserably. Seems that the skate was still alive and had wrapped itself up with the stringer (gannion line) Evan had tied to a cleat and Jim's line. We offered our help and had it free in moments. Jim thanked us for our help. Never let on that we had cut the gannon and "freed Willy" from the entanglement...

Jim had a way with words and a very colorful vocabulary, yes he did😀

Remember reading some of your dad's stuff and really enjoyed his sheep stories! IIRC I did not realize at the time there was more than one fella with the same last name living in Las Anchorage😉

The good old days...

I could be wrong, but think in the end one should just have a master pack of rearden offered. Every book he wrote at a package price.

I really did not want to read wolf man. Just didn't like the title for some reason. It was kind of shoved at me a while back, loaner... and I'm so glad I read it.

Art, what on your dads writings? Things I can buy too?

He wrote quite a bit for a bunch of magazines back in the '65-'98 time frame. I have all of his records and writings, a file cabinet packed, but it is difficult to get them all together. He wrote a number of pieces that were published in the Alaska Magazine Annual Collections.

I have never read a Jim Rearden book I did not enjoy and I have read many. A gifted writer and he loved this place called Alaska.

I am sorry I never took the time to drive to Homer and meet him. He lived a real Alaskan life style.

I got ahold of another of his books "Tales of Alaska's Big Bears", really enjoying it. He includes some "as told to me" stories and a few totally written by friends and cronies. He was a very unselfish writer, I believe.

don't think i've read that one...will have to find a copy

crud all available are around 20 bucks

Cheap at twi....

never hear of that, i've checked all the used books sellers, but sometimes a later search yields lower costs

I use B&N a lot, but usually scroll down to the "used" section, too. frequently can get for 2 to 5 $, but looks like that book with shipping is in fact crowding $20

yes i always look for that used link on B & N, has come in handy a few times. did have the same issue with "Tales of Alaska's Big Bears", finally found a copy around 10 bucks

Art,

What’s TWI?

Dan

Actually I was just hinting at the cliche "twice the price."

Sorry for the confusion.

been hangin' around youngsters too much...
How is the grandcritter??

A few days agoI finished reading for the second time (15 years or so between) Reardon's Wolves of Alaska". another good read.

The only thing out of date in it was that there was no record of healthy, unhabituated wolves in the wild attacking a person in Alaska. Now there is - a teacher out in Chignik was killed and partially eaten a couple years ago. ADF&G just confirmed it, tho we all knew it from lthe git-go.

Craig Medred article a few days ago in the Anchorage Daily News. Sorry- no linky.