Books lead in many directions

Taking deep looks into aspects of sports from hiking to fly fishing, a slew of great outdoor books crossed my desk this year.

The Keystone Trails Association teamed with Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, to produce the 13th edition of its longtime standard, "Pennsylvania Hiking Trails." The previous edition was released way back in 1998, so the changes in trails and resources -- a running feature of the 236-page guide -- have been extensive.

I'm not sure that "The Don't Die Out There" deck of cards would save my life in an emergency outdoor situation, but Christopher Van Tilburg has produced an interesting set of survival tips. And, combining them with a functional set of playing cards, printed on lightweight, water-resistant card stock, gives them a packable versatility for the trail. The deck was published by The Mountaineer Books, Seattle.

In "Man vs. Weather," Dennis DiClaudio lays out the science of meteorology for amateurs on terms we can all put to use. He does it with entertaining style, also offering some history and a good measure of humor. Penguin Books, New York, is the publisher.

Charles Meck, a Pennsylvania fly-fishing legend, explores a topic somewhat, but not entirely, familiar to many anglers with a thoroughness never before brought to the subject. His "Fishing Tandem Flies," from Headwater Books, New Cumberland, brings his standard depth of fly-fishing knowledge and depth of explanation to the subject of fishing more than one fly at one time. It's very well illustrated and represents everything anyone would need to know.

While Stoeger Books, Accokeek, Md., designed the late James Smith's book on field dressing everything from mourning dove to white-tailed deer as "The Pocket Field Dressing Guide," it makes more sense to learn the techniques for the species being hunted in advance of going afield and then leave the book on the shelf. It's filled with useful illustrations on key points and, at 160 pocket-sized pages, wastes no space....