Re: # of rod building books?
Posted by:
Anonymous User
(Moderator)
Date: September 06, 2006 09:19PM
Since 1965 or so, there have been no less than about 19 books written and published here in the U.S. pertaining to general custom rod building. Now that doesn't include any of the specialty rod building books on making bamboo rods. If you want to include those, you'd have to add a minimum of about 6 more. So I'd push that number out to 24 or 25 at the absolute minimum. I'd guess that over half of those 24 or 25 titles are long out of print by now. I have most, but not all of them.
I did not include the small pamphlets such as the ones Flex Coat did for decorative rod wraps. Just those titles that were actual books, most with Library of Congress designated numbers.
I couldn't say what was the earliest in any form. I have one from someone named Steve Larkin that was copyrighted in 1970. I think the Gudebrod book/booklet, "Wrap a Rod With GudeBrod" may have predated it, but can't be sure. I no longer have a copy to check the publication date. Gene Bullard's two books were both penned in the late 60's so they'd be pretty early too. But, it's entirely possible that other books predated those as well. There may also have been some other books on tackle making that included rod building. In fact, I have a book written by Herter back in the 40's that has some rod building information in it. Maybe that's the earliest, I really don't know.
It would be interesting to know if any books on rod building have been published elsewhere in the world.
I know that there have been at least two other full size magazines on rod building other than RodMaker. One out of Texas and one out of Australia, although both had relatively short lives. And... the Bamboo Fly Rod Magazine was around in the late 90's for 3 or 4 issues.
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