James Prosek – författare

"James Prosek has eloquently demonstrated that angling is a kind of universal language. . . . he has taken us on an unforgettable journey." — Thomas McGuane, author of The Cadence of Grass and The Longest Silence: A Life in FishingThe New York Times has called James Prosek "the Audubon of the fishing world," and in Fly-Fishing the 41st, he uses his talent for descriptive writing to illuminate an astonishing adventure. Beginning in his hometown of Easton, Connecticut, Prosek circumnavigates the globe along the 41st parallel, traveling through Spain, Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, China, and Japan. Along the way he shares some of the best fishing in the world with a host of wonderfully eccentric and memorable characters.

When James Prosek was just fifteen, a ranger named Joe Haines caught him fishing without a permit in a stream near Prosek''s home in Connecticut. But instead of taking off with his fishing buddy, James put down his rod and surrendered. It was a move that would change his life forever. Expecting a small fine and a lecture, James instead received enough knowledge about fishing and the great outdoors to last a lifetime.The story of an unlikely friendship, Joe and Me is a book for those who remember the mentor in their life, the one who changed the way they look at the world.

James Prosek has been called "the Audubon of the fishing world" by the New York Times. A passionate fisherman and talented artist from a young age, he published two illustrated books on fish and fishing while still an undergraduate at Yale. After winning a traveling fellowship to follow in the footsteps of Izaak Walton, The Compleat Angler became his obsession. He was fascinated by Walton, a humble man who won the friendship of kings, and he was intrigued by the book''s philosophies concerning the timelessness and immortality that could be achieved by fishing. Although Walton was sixty when The Compleat Angler was published and Prosek only twenty when he set off to visit England, they each had traits in common: a love of fishing and an extraordinary ability to make friends.This is the story of a young man''s pilgrimage through England, fishing the waters that are now privately held. Along with wonderful stories about good times, great fishing, and fine eating, this trip becomes an exploration of Waltonian ideals: how to live with humor, wisdom, contentment, and simplicity.The original watercolors complementing the text are wonderful. Like Walton''s book, The Complete Angler is not about fishing but about life. Or rather, it is about fishing—but fishing is life.

"Eels [is] more than a fish book. It is an impassioned defense of nature itself. . . . [Prosek] passes on the truth that the often disdained eel, like all migratory fish, is vital and mysterious and worthy of our full effort to bring it back."   — New York Times Book Review"A wonderful account of far-flung travels in pursuit of the secrets of the earth''s most mysterious fish. . . . Fascinating and beautifully rendered." — Peter MatthiessenFamous for his deeply informed, compulsively readable books on trout, James Prosek (whom the New York Times has called "the Audubon of the fishing world") takes on nature''s quirkiest and most enigmatic fish: the eel. Fans of Mark Kurlansky''s Cod and The Big Oyster or Trevor Corson''s The Secret Life of Lobsters will love Prosek''s probing exploration of the hidden deep-water dwellers. With characteristically captivating prose and lavish illustrations, Prosek demystifies the eel''s unique biology and bizarre mating routines, and illuminates the animal''s varied roles in the folklore, cuisine, and commerce of a variety of cultures.

Works by Prosek and others are juxtaposed with natural objects in an illuminating interrogation of the artificial boundaries we create between art and natureAward-winning artist, writer, and naturalist James Prosek (b. 1975) has gained a worldwide following for his deep connection with the natural world, which serves as the basis for his art and numerous popular books. In this cross-disciplinary catalogue, Prosek poses the question, What is art and what is artifact—and to what extent do these distinctions matter? Drawing on the collections of the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Prosek places man- and nature-made objects on equal footing aesthetically, suggesting that the distinction between them is not as vast as we may believe. In more than 150 full-color plates, objects such as a bird’s nest, dinosaur head, and cuneiform tablet are juxtaposed with Asian handscrolls, an African headdress, modern masterpieces, and more. Artists featured include Albrecht Dürer, Helen Frankenthaler, Vincent van Gogh, Barbara Hepworth, Pablo Picasso, and Jackson Pollock, as well as Prosek himself, whose works depict fish, birds, and endangered wildlife. Also included are an incisive essay by Edith Devaney and texts by Prosek that explore the magnificent productions of our wondrous interconnected world.Distributed for the Yale University Art GalleryExhibition Schedule:Yale University Art Gallery(February 14–June 7, 2020)

This beautiful, information-packed deck—a bucket list for the serious angler and introduction for the novice—is an encyclopedia yet smaller than a fly box.The trout of North America range from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from the Arctic Circle to the mountains of Western Mexico. With the passion of an angler and the stunning attention to detail of a field scientist, artist James Prosek journeyed thousands of miles through the United States, Canada and Mexico to depict nearly 60 subspecies of North American trout.Those works are now reproduced here, detailing the diversity and brilliant range of colors in the species in vivid watercolors. On the back of each card is an informative description of that trout, including its region and distinctive markings. Each card offers the experience of standing in a clear stream with a seasoned guide at your side to explain what makes each trout special.No other card deck shows all of the popular varieties, much less the rare, exotic, and in some cases extinct species and subspecies, including char; Apache, Gila, and Mexican trout; rainbow, redband, and golden trout; cutthroat trout; brown trout; and Atlantic salmon.

Renowned naturalist and artist James Prosek applies his extensive field research and artistry to share the natural abundance of America’s sweeping prairies.In 2021, Prosek traveled to the Texas Hill Country to understand the region’s threatened prairie habitats, thus embarking on a project to explore the complex realities of contemporary American grasslands.Prosek’s art is influenced by his science-based, firsthand fieldwork, with his handwritten notes often lining the margins. The book features his richly detailed watercolors and silhouettes of animals, plants, and habitats that reinforce the importance of the prairies as their own complete ecosystems, as well as the boundaries that define them in the present day—from fencerows to distinguishing native prairies from ones with invasive grasses.The same scientific curiosity, detailed artistry, and passionate attention Prosek brought to raising the awareness of species of trout are now acutely focused on the rich, intricate diversity of our native grasses.