Tales of Quails 'n Such

Greenburg, 1951. 2nd Printing. Hardcover. Good/Good. Book covers faded, with some light edgewear; the dusjacket has a small piece missing at top and bottom of spine. With illustrations and dustjacket art by William Schaldach. A collection of 27 stories of bird hunting for quail, turkey, and a chapter on bass fishing. According to the author, the stories collected in Tales of Quails 'n Such are lazy, loose-fingered and rambling accounts of my jaunts afoot. There is not one well organized and plotted tale among them. I suppose I ought to apologize for their formlessness, but that would be apologizing for deficiencies in my own character. A hunting or fishing trip is not by nature a closely planned and scheduled affair. You never know what is going to happen outdoors, for nature is more surprising than a woman. They are for people who revel in simple things--a bevy of quail scudding over tawny broom sedge; a staunch dog silhouetted against the setting sun; a night's untroubled sleep; the soft swish of a paddle at sunrise; a cooling drink from a sequestered spring at noon-tide. These stories will have an obvious appeal to anyone who has ever held or dreamed of holding a fishing rod or a gun in his hand, as well as to the reader who enjoys Americana and the penetrating musings of a southern country gentleman. Over the course of Havilah Babcock’s career, the South Carolina-based author and educator penned some of the most humorous and insightful hunting and fishing stories ever told—his tales of pursuing bobwhite quail of particular merit and wit. he published unforgettable articles in Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, and Sports Afield, as well as classic books such as My Health is Better in November and Tales of Quails ’n Such. He is considered to be one of the finest, most good-natured sportsmen to ever put pen to paper.