The Battenkill
The Battenkill has long been known as one of this country's great trout streams. Merwin, formerly the editor of Fly Fisherman and a contributor to many angling books, has fished it often for 20 years in both Vermont and New York. In sketching the river valley's history and its influence on artists, writers, and residents from Ethan Allen to Norman Rockwell and Lee Wulff, Merwin seeks to explain its mystique while also advocating changes in management to restore its fishing glory. Less thorough than Ben Bachman's Upstream ( LJ 2/1/85) and James Dina's Voyage of the Ant ( LJ 9/15/89), which both describe the Connecticut River, Merwin's book is nevertheless a loving description, perhaps limited in appeal to those, especially trout enthusiasts, who know or would like to know the Battenkill.- Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., CarbondaleCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.