Most Popular Books by James Prosek

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.

When his mother leaves to live with another man, nine-year-old Jeremy faces his own pain and loss, his father''s depression and sister''s distance, the pity of friends and strangers, and his father''s remarriage two years later, finding solace in fishing and his artwork.

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 Matthiessen Famous 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.

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 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 Fishing The 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.

Having developed a passion for fishing as a boy, James Prosek searched in vain for a book that catalogued the trout he had come to treasure. Then he began painting them himself, inspired by John James Audubon''s classic bird portraits. This is the dazzlingly beautiful result, with more than seventy original watercolors by a true prodigy--only twenty years old and already considered "a fair bid to become the Audubon of the fishing world" (The New York Times). The trout of North America range from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from the Arctic Circle to the Tropic of Cancer. No other book pictures all of the popular varieties, much less the rare, exotic, and in some cases extinct species, subspecies, and strains included in this comprehensive collection. Char; Apache, Gila, and Mexican trout; rainbow, redband, and golden trout; cutthroat trout; brown trout and Atlantic salmon--each of these, and many more, are captured in vivid watercolors, along with engaging, informative descriptions of their evolution and habitats. With youthful passion and stunning accuracy, James Prosek celebrates as never before the indelicble beauty and variety of the trout, and makes an eloquent plea for its preservation. An unprecedented reference, Trout is essential for the serious angler--and a glorious introduction for anyone who loves fishing and the outdoors.

In the rereleased edition of Trout of the World, fans of James Prosek''s unique painting talent will revel in the addition of 30 new fish paintings and a newly penned preface. First released in 2003, Trout of the World features original watercolors of trout from around the world, ranging from the Oxus trout of eastern Afghanistan to the small golden brown trout of British chalk streams. Each unique painting is coupled with a historical profile of the fish, as well as personal reflections from the author. Prosek savors the beauty of various fishing spots, along with the fate of the species, contemplating man''s role in the extinction of animals. Both sensitive and informative, Trout of the World is a must for the library of the recreational fisherman as ichthyologist.

This deluxe edition includes a limited edition print suitable for framing and signed by the artist, James Prosek. The book for the deluxe limited editon will be bound in a special case embossed with the outline of one of Prosek''s iconic fish. Book and print will be nestled together in a beautiful cloth clamshell case featuring a tipped-on image on top and a silk pull ribbon within In the tradition of his acclaimed Trout: An Illustrated History, renowned naturalist, artist, and fisherman James Prosek captures 35 of the most pursued fish--from striped bass to tarpon, swordfish to bonefish--as well as many creatures that share these marine ecosystems--from lobsters to shells to beach plants--through rich watercolors painted specifically for this handsome volume. Ocean Fishes is James Prosek''s personal tribute to marine beauty unlike any published before--based on travel, intense observation, work with scientists, and stories of those who know the fish most intimately, the fishermen (both recreational and commercial). It is also the author''s quiet conservation statement. In showing the beauty and monumentality of these fish, Prosek is urging us to preserve what we have before it is lost. These paintings give the reader a privileged view of a fish fresh from the ocean when its changing colors first glint in the sun--a view ordinarily glimpsed only by the fishermen on the boat. This book is not intended as a scientific catalogue of ocean fishes. Each painting reflects Prosek''s individual experience with a single fish--the artist traveled the Atlantic from Nova Scotia to the Cape Verde Islands to see each species firsthand as it came out of the water before it lost its living colors. The original paintings are all life-size portraits (from a 14-inch porgy to a 12-foot, 8-inch blue marlin) and will be exhibited at several venues from Monaco to Philadelphia. Details from these original works are reproduced at full-size in the book to give a sense of scale. This book is a must-have for saltwater anglers, professional fishermen, conservationists, art lovers, beachcombers, and anyone who is passionate about the beauty of the beach and coastline and the mysteries swimming off of its shores.