It is the hope of the editors of this massive anthology that these readings will help to lay the groundwork for just such a discussion. Theirs is a brave and noble attempt to address an issue that is altogether ignored in our society. Authors in this collection include such luminaries as Hemingway, Tom McGuane, Robert Ruark, Theodore Roosevelt, Vance Bourjaily, and another score of men who appear equally competent both in the outdoors and behind a typewriter. More than other types of books, anthologies tend to become friends. We keep them on our shelves, take them up when at odd moments, and pick our way through them again and again, pausing over a favorite essay or poem, seeking inspiration, information, or pleasure.
Anthologies are like parties packed with friends who know how to talk and how to listen.
It's good to know in this cold winter that I've got three more friends in this world now than I had a month ago. Copyright 2001, The Smoky Mountain News.