Summer/Fall 1999

Hot Off the Press
with James Cummins and Brooks Simmons

Hiking Mississippi
by Helen McGinnis
Reviewed by James Cummins

Whether one likes adventures with backpack, on horseback, in a canoe, on a mountain bike or just on foot, Hiking Mississippi is the essential guide-book to the Magnolia State's Trails, byways and teeming nature sites. Helen McGinnis, a fellow wildlife biologist, is also the author of Carnegie's Dinosaurs, The Cranberry Backcountry and Dolly Sods.

Mississippi, which is blessed with waterfalls, barrier intact wilderness areas and scenic backwoods trails, comprises a diverse terrain of shoreline, woods, cypress swamps, scenic lakes and streams, an arboretum and our own petrified forest. Hikers and backpackers will find Mississippi a naturalist's haven.

This indispensable manual is the one to carry as you adventure over Mississippi's larger natural public lands and other rustic tracts that are open to the hiker. It is filled with maps, tips and histories and describes wildlife management areas, national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges, reservoirs and state parks.

Hiking Mississippi also includes the many smaller, less-known sites with strong appeal for those who wish to explore on foot or bicycle. And, for buffs like me who savor Mississippi's rich history as they backpack, this trail guide offers information about well known mavericks and outlaws, the legacy of our Native Americans and the heritage of the Civil War as it was fought on Mississippi's soil.

Presented here for the first time are facts, advice and descriptions that will make hikers appreciate the many opportunities they will discover throughout Mississippi. Hiking Mississippi is available in bookstores or from the University Press of Mississippi, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211-6492. Send $15.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling. Mississippi residents must add 7% sales tax to the price of the books.

Reel Women: The World of Women Who Fish
by Lyla Foggia
Reviewed by Brooks Simmons

Foggia is the first comprehensive account of women's place in fishing. "By amassing women's achievements and contributions in a single volume," says the author, "we discover that women not only have a history in fishing, but have also made history in a sport long perceived as the exclusive past time of men.

Each of the women profiled in Reel Women has distinguished herself either as a landmark author, innovator, world-record setter, conservationist or major influence bringing more women into the sport - many of them in a combination of these roles.

Reel Women also includes a first-ever women's angling resource directory (with both national and state-by-state listings of organizations, businesses and services), a bibliography of books written by or for women and a gallery of vintage and contemporary photos.

This fascinating book will inspire the angler and non-angler alike. Reel Women: The World of Women Who Fish should be available through most reputable book stores and tackle shops in mid-October or by calling the publisher directly at 1-800-284-9673.

Outdoor Tables and Tales
Southeastern Outdoor Press Association
Reviewed by James L. Cummins

Remember the family of writers that were in Mississippi not too long ago? Well, this group, the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, has published a cookbook of their favorite recipes. This one will be tough to beat!

Recipes of our favorite writers - Horace Carter, Jim and Ann Casada, Bobby Cleveland, Charlie Dickey, Jim McCafferty, Robert and Betsy Neill, Ronnie Strickland (us Mississippians know him as "Cuz"), Theo Titus, Tim Tucker and Rob Keck to name a few - are included throughout this diverse book.

From venison to small game to fish and other critters, it includes it all - even hors d'ouevres (you know, the stuff you eat before you really eat). The editor of this fantastic book - direct from Brownspur, Mississippi, Robert Hitt Neill - assembled some of the best recipes found in the South, all of which can be prepared in modern kitchens. Throughout, he managed to scatter a few formal dinner table concoctions as well as a few secrets from hunting camp. I have personally tried to test each and every one.

Although, I have to admit that the bluefish, flounder, halibut and Spanish mackerel have been biting a little slow north of I-10. I'm quite confident they'll pick up later this year. I have also not had the time to try the "Woodchuck in Slow Cooker" and "Mammy's Old Timey Possum". Rumor has it they're big hits with in-laws.

Besides great recipes from the wild, you'll get to enjoy some excellent poetry, short stories and quotes from Archibald Rutledge. This is a book made for every kitchen and hunting club.

To order a copy of Outdoor Tables and Tales, send $14.95 plus $3.00 postage and handling to Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, P.O. Box 1623, Lexington, SC 29071 or call 1-800-849-7367.