Search results for ""author david coggins""

Today’s man may know how to dress with style, but does he know how to behave? Though the rules of civility have changed along with the world, Men and Manners believes in manners. This book doesn’t tell you which fork to use or how to write a thank you note. But it is going to remind you of basic, respectful rules you may have forgotten or have chosen to ignore. Comprised of short essays, shorter interviews, and lists of guidelines for men of all ages, this book provides an honest, playful, and humorous look at the conflicted state of manners today. Subjects that may fluster today’s man?such as tipping, toasting, texting, grooming, dating, office behavior, and home decor?are explored with the trademark combination of dry wit and self-deprecating attitude that has made David Coggins one of today’s most well-respected men’s style writers. With humorous illustrations and contributions from some of today’s male style icons, Men and Manners makes the case for being the man who offers the best seat to his companion, who knows when to pick up the tab, and who remembers to do what’s right even if it isn’t always rewarded.

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The author of the instant fishing classic The Optimist wades into deeper waters and shares new wisdom, humor, and experience in seven extraordinary fly-fishing expeditions that mark one year in his journey through the middle part of life when worldly demands increase even as fishing continues to beckon—and must be pursued.In David Coggins’s previous book, The Optimist, he tackles the techniques of fly fishing and meditates on its virtues, recounting his triumphs and frustrations. Now, in The Believer, he deftly mixes travel, local cultures, further fishing challenges (some knee-buckling in their disappointment), and details his own experience as life and love crowd his time to fish. Self-consciously—and self-deprecatingly—Coggins embarks on seven far-flung fishing voyages, away from screens and social media, not answering his phone, reveling in humanity’s undying yearning for a quest, for the rituals and rites of passage

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An “excellent” (The New York Times) modern tribute to an ageless pastime, and a practical guide to the art, philosophy, and rituals of fly fishing, by an expert, lifelong angler.In The Optimist, David Coggins makes a case for the skills and sensibility of an enduring sport and shares the secrets, frustrations, and triumphs of the great tradition of fly fishing, which has captivated anglers worldwide. Written in wry, wise, and keenly observed prose, each chapter focuses on a specific place, fish, and skill. Few individuals, for example, have the visual acuity required to catch the nearly invisible bonefish of the Bahamas flats. Or the patience to land the elusive Atlantic salmon, “the fish of a thousand casts,” in eastern Canada. Pursuing these challenges, Coggins, “a confirmed obsessive,” travels to one fishing paradise after another, including the great rivers of Patagonia, private chalk streams in England, remote ponds in Maine, and New York City’s Jamaica Bay. In each setting, he chronicles his fortunes and misfortunes with honesty and humor while meditating on how fishing teaches focus, inner stillness, and a connection to the natural world. Perfect for the novice, the enthusiastic amateur, and the devoted angler alike, The Optimist offers a practical path to enlightenment while providing “a rueful, thoughtful, and very funny examination of an elegant obsession” (Jay McInerney).

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