Pack and Rifle
Philip Holden
A reprint of classic hunting
adventures from Philip Holden, recounting his adventures as a deer culler with
the New Zealand Government Forest Service.
Pack and Rifle is the book that has inspired
generations of hunters to experience all that wild New Zealand has to offer.
First published in 1971, the book was immediately recognised as a classic of
its genre. It recounts Philip Holden's adventures as a deer culler and contains
a wealth of knowledge and hunting lore ready now to be taken up by a new
generation of hunting and outdoor enthusiasts.
Some of the
people named in the book have moved on and the dates are old, but some things
never change. The hills today are just as they were when Philip first explored
them and the adventure and thrill of the hunt still resonates from the page.
The book
can be enjoyed by the young and upcoming hunter as well as those who will read
the stories with a fond smile of nostalgia - those who have been there on
younger legs and who once lived the adventures of hunting in New Zealand's
mighty back country.
I am not a hunter or shooter but I remember this book's first publication most warmly. I was a young bookseller back then, (Beattie & Forbes Bookshop, Napier), and Philip Holden was a regular customer whom I got to know and like very much. When his book was published to wide acclaim it became a best-seller for us and each time we got new stock in from the publisher he would come into the city on a Friday night, sometimes still in his hunting gear, and sign copies for us.
Philip Holden was born in Wales in 1937 and immigrated with his family to Australia in 1953, where he worked in the
outback, before coming to New Zealand aged 23. By the time of his death in
2005, he had established himself as one of New Zealand's most prolific authors,
with 54 published works to his credit.
BOOK DETAILS:
Pack and Rifle by Philip Holden - Harper Collins
NZ RRP $36.99
NZ Release date — July 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment