I’m not an angler, but my friend Blind Lightnin’ Pete sent me a copy of The Curtis Creek Manifesto because he knew I’d appreciate the excellence of this 1978 hand-illustrated 48-page primer about fly fishing. It was written by Sheridan Anderson (angler, artist, wanderer, eternal foe of the work ethic), and I don’t think I’ve ever come across a more impressive primer on any subject.
Anderson presents the material in beautifully composed comic-book style pages, using a variety of hand-lettering styles to organize the material on each page. It’s clear that Anderson spent ages planning, writing, and illustrating The Curtis Creek Manifesto, because I can’t imagine it being any better. All 17 reviewers on Amazon seem to agree, because every one of them give it 5-stars.
After reading the book, I was excited to track down Sheridan Anderson to see if he might be able to contribute something the magazine I edit, Make. There’s precious little about him online, but I finally found a 2004 article from the LA Times about him. He died in 1984 at the ago of 47.
He claimed four names. He favored black hats and a flowing cape and considered himself “one of the last Edwardians.” He died 20 years ago at age 47, leaving only the most cryptic biographical clues in his work.
Looking like a Renaissance Faire bouncer, the author stares out at readers from an opening page, mustache bristling, hair tousled, perhaps from jousting. His chin rests on a hand and the eyes blaze in ferocious thought.
As for the man behind the pen, “he was big. Probably close to 300 pounds…. Always dressed in black, and had that black hat and big black cape,” recalls Amato’s sister, Lorraine Guelker.
“He came to our home once,” says Amato. “My wife was cooking two roasts, with the idea that we would have one the next day. I brought out a bottle of Scotch. He pretty much put away the whole bottle before dinner. And then he polished off one of the pork roasts. Voracious appetites.”
MidCurrent has another good article about him. Link
Update:
Kevin Kelly reviewed this book a while ago, and included a few sample pages. Link
Reader comment:
Phred182 says:
I recommended the late William Nealy on Metafilter a while back.
His books on mountain biking, kayaking, and the outdoors are superb: like riding/rafting with a more experienced buddy. The format is very similar to Anderson’s work, with detailed instruction on repair, riding, and maintenance techniques–suffused throughout with a self-deprectaing wit that is clearly the product of experience and thought.
A great place to start is Mountain Bike! A Manual of Beginning to Advanced Technique.
Full catalog available on Amazon here
