Des Taylor’s Great Days - Review by Tim Paisley
I have to declare an interest here in that I was honoured to be asked to write
the foreword for Des’s Great Days, which I duly did, with enthusiasm and
affection. Des is a larger than life character whose company, writing, videos
and DVDs I have enjoyed since I first encountered him and his work in the 1970s.
I think most of you will know that Des is an all-round angler rather than
a mere carp angler. He has written for Carpworld and has spoken at carp shows,
but he is most familiar to the wider world of angling served by Angling Times and
specialist magazines, to which Des has contributed his very personalised column
and articles for many years. Great Days focuses on the all-round world that Des
stands astride like the colossus he is, as a quick look at the chapter headings
reveals.Grayling, skate, perch, catfish, eels, trout, pike, tarpon, halibut, carp,
chub, barbel, tench, roach and great white shark are among the species encounters
which he has recalled within the pages of Great Days, as well as some special
memories of angling world occasions off the bank. The scenes of his adventures
embrace a diversity of venues from on his own doorstep on the Severn at Bewdley,
to Norway, India, France, Florida Keys, Canada, South Africa…
But this is more than a book about special results and well-remembered moments:
it’s a book about a love affair with angling, and the world of angling, and angling
people.
In my foreword I describe Des as an angler, a public figure, a raconteur, a
politician and video star, in addition to being a writer. In the preface Des’s friend
Lawrence Breakspear quotes his introduction to some tapes he and Des put
together, in which he introduced him as being “…big, brash and bold”. He is all
of these things; a giant of a man in every sense of the word. ‘Larger than life’
can be an overworked cliché but in Des’s case it is very apt, and I think Des
comes up with the best possible description of himself in a caption in the
Norwegian winter chapter. The caption reads: ‘I feel more at home in Norway
than anywhere I have been in the world, must be the Viking blood in my veins!’
Des the Viking warrior is exactly right: why had I never thought of that before?
When you read Des’s material it helps if you know him, because I’m
not sure his warmth of personality and great humour come across on the page
as vividly as they do in real life. He is by far the funniest man I have ever been
in the company of, with the exception of Jim Davidson, perhaps! In terms of the
book, the important thing is that Des is an angling world figure of some
significance, which makes having his book on your bookshelf as important as
owning those by Walker, Ingham, Fred J. and those other giants of the angling
world who are no longer with us. If you haven’t already got a copy of Great Days
then don’t hang around. The book has been published in a limited edition format
so grab one while there are copies still available.
Well done Des. Great Days indeed!
For a free downloadable
poster and further information please click...(
here).
To read an article in the
Angling Times about this book please click on image below (PDF 2MB).
In this, his first book, Des writes about some of the great days he has had out there in
the name of fishing. This is not an instructional book, although the reader will
find some excellent angling tips within these pages. Instead, he tries throughout
the book, to inspire the angler to try their hand at different species and travel to
different venues. Des also appreciates that not everyone has the inclination or the
finance to travel to catch these fish. But one thing is for sure, any angler reading this
book will feel inspired to grab a rod and go fishing. His writing is not from a man that
is trying to portray he is something special, it is from a countryman that wants you to
enjoy his stories, and hopefully give you the confidence to do the same. This book
backs up Des’s philosophy that there is more to fishing than just catching fish. He
writes about the wildlife, the scenery, the local people and the camaraderie between
him and his angling companions, it's all here. Sit back, pour a glass of wine or
beer, and enjoy the words of an angler that has enjoyed some truly great days fishing.
Hardback Editions £29.99 plus £5.00 P&P.
Leather Bound edition £199 Plus £12.99 Special delivery and packaging. (Leathers Sold OUT)