A Fine and Pleasant Misery


Book Description

Witty cautionary tales of outdoor life.




How I Got This Way


Book Description

Tales of rural Idaho by the New York Times–bestselling author: “There’s a smile or guffaw to be had on almost every page . . . entertainment aplenty.” —Publishers Weekly From fibbing fishermen to wilderness misadventures to eulogies for a mean dog, this is a charming collection of comic essays and tall tales from the Field & Stream and Outdoor Life writer and “funniest guy in a flannel shirt” (Kirkus Reviews). Among the many selections is the two-part title essay, in which Patrick McManus delves into the chaotic country boyhood that shaped him into one of the best-loved and bestselling authors of our age. “Gentle, ironic, self-deprecatory wit from the popular western humorist. There’s some of Bill Nye here and more still of Mark Twain.” —Booklist “The brief selections are of the type one might hear from a droll uncle/grandfather prefaced by the phrase, ‘When I was a boy.’ They are mainly outdoor adventures, some of which masquerade as hunting trips, and celebrate life. All are laugh-out-loud funny.” —School Library Journal “Patrick McManus is a treasure.” —The Atlantic




They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?


Book Description

Humorous tales and discourses on a sportsman's life.




Never Sniff a Gift Fish


Book Description

More humorous observations and insights into the agonies and ecstacies of hunting, fishing, and camping by the author of They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?and other celebrations of life in the wild.




Kerplunk!


Book Description

Presents a collection of curmudgeonly tales on Pacific Northwest country living as enjoyed by both outdoorsmen and armchair enthusiasts, in a volume that explores the lighter side of such topics as gun safes, fly tying, and bird dog flatulence.




The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw


Book Description

America’s “most gifted outdoor humorist” (Detroit Free Press) regales readers with this collection of gut-busting, man vs. nature tales originally published in such magazines as Field & Stream and Outdoor Living. Patrick F. McManus’s hilarious and comic stories of camping and other nature-oriented activities reach ridiculous proportions in The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw. From teaching his stepfather the methods of madness behind farm work through his best friend’s grandmother’s fear of bears, McManus reveals that human behavior is even wilder than the wilderness.




Never Cry "Arp!" and Other Great Adventures


Book Description

America's best-selling outdoor humorist for adults has a secret following: middle-grade and young-adult readers. Never Cry "Arp!" is a lively collection of twelve stories about young Pat's misadventures in the Great American Wilderness. All the McManus regulars are here: Crazy Eddie Muldoon, the best friend everybody wishes they had (and everybody's mother wishes they didn't); Rancid Crabtree, the good-hearted, if gamey, woodsman; Pat's skunk dog, Strange, who lives up to his name; and Pat's pal, Retch Sweeney, who does, too. This is a book for kids who love to start fishing at 4am (at least they say they do) or for those who prefer to experience the mighty outdoors in the safety of their homes. "Everybody should read Patrick McManus," said the New York Times. Now, everybody can.




The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories


Book Description

The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories is a hilarious addition to Patrick F. McManus’s existing work in humor. The author weighs in on his childhood, everyday life, and outdoor tales with his typical exaggerated commentary that will elicit a belly laugh from all types of readers. Read about the antics of Patrick’s friends Rancid Crabtree and Retch Sweeney in such stories as “Shaping Up for the Hunt” and “Bear Hunters.” McManus plays off the recent obsession with hoarders in his surprising story “The Lady Who Kept Things.” In the titular story, meet Patrick’s horse, Huckleberry, and enjoy the experience of all the problems that come along with owning your own horse—or keeping him in the garage. Other great stories include: “Catch-And-Eaters,” about the importance of a forked stick when fishing “$7000 TV Historical Extravaganza,” a look at one director’s loose interpretation of historical accuracy and political correctness “A Lake Too Far,” concerning the woes of Patrick and his wife, Bun, on a fateful birding trip in Australia “Chicken Chronicles,” which involves Patrick’s memory of wandering around naked in the chicken yard when guests came to call So pull up a chair, sit back, and enjoy laughing to the hilarious adventures of Patrick F. McManus in The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories.




The Grasshopper Trap


Book Description

“Funniest guy in the Outdoor Life and Field and Stream gang, McManus here offers another bag of whimsey in the Great Outdoors” —Kirkus Reviews In this collection of thirty zany stories, spoofing camping, fishing, and other outdoor recreational activities, McManus shares his hilarious wilderness misadventures. From facing an angry bear with an unloaded gun and the folly of running a boat while it’s still on the trailer to not questioning the ingredients found in camp cookout cuisine and the best methods of catching grasshoppers, no one knows how to express Mother Nature’s sense of humor like Patrick F. McManus. Praise for Patrick F. McManus “Patrick McManus is a treasure.” —The Atlantic “Everybody should read Patrick McManus.” —The New York Times Book Review “A style that brings to mind Mark Twain, Art Buchwald, and Garrison Keillor.” —People “Describing Patrick F. McManus as an outdoor humorist is like saying Mark Twain wrote books about small boys . . . the funniest writer around today—indoors or outdoors.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution




The Bear in the Attic


Book Description

Humorous essays about the joys and irritations of outdoor life range from the art of wrestling toads to pondering the philosophical nature of being lost.