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Catch and Release

Trout Fishing and the Meaning of Life

Author Mark Kingwell
Ebook
Penguin Adult HC/TR | Penguin Books
On sale Apr 26, 2005 | 256 Pages | 9781101006948
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This vibrant blend of memoir, travelogue, and reflection on the deep truths of angling is framed around an annual fishing trip that Mark Kingwell and his father and two brothers take each year to British Columbia. Between the drinking, the cigars, and the piloting of a small dingy, Kingwell, previously of the belief that “fishing is stupid,” finds that the sport does allow for one important thing—quite a bit of time just to think, to allow thoughts to wander and new vistas to open up.
 
This realization leads Kingwell, who makes his living as a professor of philosophy, to ponder everything from masculinity and procrastination to golf and the value of work—not to mention the relative benefits of wet versus dry flies, the cast, and how best to fool a fish. As the book engagingly shows, fishing is worth thinking about because of the thinking that fishing allows. Especially when the trout aren’t biting.
 
 
 

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgements

 

Chapter 1 - This Book Is Not About Fishing

Chapter 2 - Fishing Is Stupid

Chapter 3 - Golf Is Also Stupid

Chapter 4 - Who Is Fred?

Chapter 5 - The Exercise of Skill Is an End in Itself

Chapter 6 - Patience

Chapter 7 - Killing

Chapter 8 - Boredom, Procrastination, and Losing Your Way

Chapter 9 - Comfort

PENGUIN BOOKS

CATCH AND RELEASE

Mark Kingwell, a critic and professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, is the author of six books, including The World We Want (2001) and Practical Judgments (2002). He is a contributing editor of Harper’s Magazine and has written for The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, and the Utne Reader.

PENGUIN BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.

Penguin group (Canada), 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)

Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,
Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pry Ltd)

Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi - 110 017, India

Penguin Group (NZ), cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310,
New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)

Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank,
Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2004

Published in Penguin Books 2005

Copyright © Mark Kingwell, 2003

All rights reserved

. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Philosopher and critic Mark Kingwell is the author of more than ten books, including the national bestsellers Better Living and The World We Want. A professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, his scholarly work has appeared in many leading journals, including the Journal of Philosophy, Political Theory, and the Harvard Design Magazine. He is also a contributing editor of Harper’s Magazine and a regular contributor to Adbusters, the National Post, and the Globe and Mail. He has won many awards for his writing, including the National Magazine Award for both essays and columns. Classic Cocktails is based on his award-winning cocktail column, which appears in the men’s magazine Toro. View titles by Mark Kingwell

About

 
This vibrant blend of memoir, travelogue, and reflection on the deep truths of angling is framed around an annual fishing trip that Mark Kingwell and his father and two brothers take each year to British Columbia. Between the drinking, the cigars, and the piloting of a small dingy, Kingwell, previously of the belief that “fishing is stupid,” finds that the sport does allow for one important thing—quite a bit of time just to think, to allow thoughts to wander and new vistas to open up.
 
This realization leads Kingwell, who makes his living as a professor of philosophy, to ponder everything from masculinity and procrastination to golf and the value of work—not to mention the relative benefits of wet versus dry flies, the cast, and how best to fool a fish. As the book engagingly shows, fishing is worth thinking about because of the thinking that fishing allows. Especially when the trout aren’t biting.
 
 
 

Excerpt

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgements

 

Chapter 1 - This Book Is Not About Fishing

Chapter 2 - Fishing Is Stupid

Chapter 3 - Golf Is Also Stupid

Chapter 4 - Who Is Fred?

Chapter 5 - The Exercise of Skill Is an End in Itself

Chapter 6 - Patience

Chapter 7 - Killing

Chapter 8 - Boredom, Procrastination, and Losing Your Way

Chapter 9 - Comfort

PENGUIN BOOKS

CATCH AND RELEASE

Mark Kingwell, a critic and professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, is the author of six books, including The World We Want (2001) and Practical Judgments (2002). He is a contributing editor of Harper’s Magazine and has written for The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, and the Utne Reader.

PENGUIN BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.

Penguin group (Canada), 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)

Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,
Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pry Ltd)

Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi - 110 017, India

Penguin Group (NZ), cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310,
New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)

Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank,
Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2004

Published in Penguin Books 2005

Copyright © Mark Kingwell, 2003

All rights reserved

. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Author

Philosopher and critic Mark Kingwell is the author of more than ten books, including the national bestsellers Better Living and The World We Want. A professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, his scholarly work has appeared in many leading journals, including the Journal of Philosophy, Political Theory, and the Harvard Design Magazine. He is also a contributing editor of Harper’s Magazine and a regular contributor to Adbusters, the National Post, and the Globe and Mail. He has won many awards for his writing, including the National Magazine Award for both essays and columns. Classic Cocktails is based on his award-winning cocktail column, which appears in the men’s magazine Toro. View titles by Mark Kingwell

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