The Language of Wings: Essays on Waterfowl

Thomas strikes me as the John Geirach of waterfowling. Just as Geirach explores the most ordinary acts and pleasures of fly fishing and makes them remarkable, Thomas gently illuminates the ways waterfowling can enrich the hunter's life beyond any reasonable explanation. Dogs, guns, hunting partners, places, and, of course, the birds themselves are the featured subjects here, and reading Thomas's takes on these unfailingly brings greater appreciation of one's own experiences of them. He is himself a one of a kind hunter, a physician, guide, writer and world traveler, a sharply observant outdoorsman, a passionate conservationist, and a deeply cultured individual. This combination gives his essays an exceptional range, and his uniquely personable and accessible prose makes every one of them a pleasure.In literature as in anything else, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. There is a great volume of writing here, and reading more than half an hour at a time one encounters a lot of overlap between the essays. This isn't surprising given that many of the pieces in this book originated as magazine columns, and the book is a compendium rather than a focused piece of nonfiction. Spending a few minutes with the book before bedtime may be the best way to appreciate it--and to avoid letting its pleasures slip away too soon.

Very good book. This collection of essays is written with the same prose as other books written by Thomas and if you loved his past works, you will like this one too. Great read for all those who love to hunt ducks and geese. While not a book that is meant to be informative, it is meant to be entertaining, and to bring back past images of hunts gone by, which it accomplishes with grace.

I gave this book to my brother for Christmas. He said it was great and he loved it. He said it was a fun book and quick to read.

Don Thomas writes in a way that makes you feel like you are the duck blind with him. It's the next best thing to being there!

Short stories full of scenery and beautiful descriptions of days afield. If you like ducks and dogs and shoreline stories told from a box blind, you will fall in love this book!

E. Donnall Thomas Jr. is a great writer. Lots of stories to enjoy in this book while sitting by a fire waiting for the next duck season to start up.

A must have for any duck hunter.

enjoyable book like author previous writing