Featured Favorites: Books about fishing

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Recommended by Edgartown Books

“The Big One” by David Kinney – Journalist David Kinney goes behind the scenes of the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby to chronicle 35 days of fish-addled hope and heartbreak. Described as “funny, weird, and compelling,” Kinney’s book tells a story of passion and obsession that will engage more than just fishing enthusiasts. ($14.95)

“Four Fish” by Paul Greenberg – Writer and lifelong fisherman Paul Greenberg investigates the forces that get salmon, sea bass, cod, and tuna to dinner tables. Through his investigation, Greenberg reveals our damaged relationship with the ocean and its inhabitants. These four fish that were once wild and abundant are being overfished, and fish farms are not a simple answer. “Four Fish” offers a way for us to move toward a future in which healthy and sustainable seafood is the rule rather than the exception. ($16)

“Dory Story” by Jerry Pallotta – A children’s picture book that follows a young boy who takes a rowboat out into the ocean on his own. He follows the seagulls that indicate fish and sees all types of sea creatures, including shrimp, sand eels, mackerel, bluefish, tuna, and whales. A fun story with wonderful, realistic illustrations, it will pique young children’s interest in the sea. ($7.95)

“The Complete Book of Saltwater Fishing” by Milt Rosko – Longtime fisherman Milt Rosko gives readers everything a saltwater angler needs to know. He covers tackle and how to use it, bait and lures, the 50 most sought after saltwater gamefish, and recipes. And, he introduces kids to saltwater fishing and conservation issues. ($19.95)

“The Secret Life of Lobsters” by Trevor Corson – In this intimate portrait of an island lobstering community and an eccentric band of renegade biologists, journalist Trevor Corson escorts the reader onto the slippery decks of fishing boats, through dangerous scuba dives, and deep into the cold, churning currents of the Gulf of Maine to learn about the secret undersea lives of lobsters. ($13.99)

Recommended by Book Den East

“Reading The Water: Adventures In Surf Fishing On Martha’s Vineyard” by Robert Post – This 1988 edition is now a fishing classic. Offered here is a unique collector’s copy, which contains autographs of 11 of the subject fisherfolk. Softcover. ($100)

“Blues” by John Hersey – This 1988 book is the author’s best seller, at least to fishermen who appreciate the fight that bluefish offer. He writes movingly of the “magnificent blues, roving the seas like wolf packs, designed for combat, valiant, vicious, embodying the immutable laws of survival and mortality.” Drawings by James Baker. UK edition. ($20)

“The Big One” by David Kinney – “The Big One,” from 2009, captures the spirit of the Vineyard’s Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby, where bigwigs and ordinary people fight all comers to get on the board. A fun read. ($20)

“Crunch & Des: Classic Stories Of Saltwater Fishing” by Philip Wylie – This 1990 tale by a great yarn spinner introduces us to two charter boat characters and their adventures chasing sailfish, barracuda, sharks, the giant goliath grouper. ($15)

“Salt Water Game Fishing” by Joe Brooks – From 1968, Brooks’s advice is now a vintage treatise on the topic. But the renowned, record-breaking angler of “Wild World Of Sport” has plenty of spot-on tips to encourage the modern saltwater fisherman. Brooks offers insight on equipment and methods, and suggestions for how to outsmart the fish. Plenty of illustrations. ($15)