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You don't have to be a hunter or camper to enjoy this collection of hilarious stories by a writer who is often compared to Mark Twain and Garrison Keillor. In fact, the charm of Patrick F. McManus' work is that it provides plenty of reasons for staying indoors, surrounded by friendly appliances. You'll laugh aloud as McManus and his friends, including Rancid and Crazy Eddie, venture into the great outdoors to face formidable foes like truck campers, tackle boxes, and boat engines. Digging show more into his vast knapsack of anecdotes, McManus offers them as guides for the bumpier trails of life. Although his stories are wacky, McManus never resorts to profanity or crudity, even when he is considering Teenagers from Hell or Strange Meets Matilda Jean. Narrator Norman Dietz perfectly captures the baffled lunacy that characterizes these reminiscences and quests for the sportsman's perfect moment. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I always enjoy the far-fetched humor of these stories. They are told in the tradition of the tall tale grandpa used to tell to pull your leg. All about boyhood, nature and bad smells, they are full of reminiscence, even for a girl like me.
26 stories from the master of comedy. It's ok to laugh out loud when reading McManus,
Hilarious!
Collection of comedic short stories
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Author Information

44+ Works 6,507 Members
Patrick Francis McManus was born in Sandpoint, Idaho on August 25, 1933. He received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1956 and a master's degree in journalism in 1959 from Washington State College, Pullman. He taught English, creative writing, and journalism at Eastern Washington State College from 1960 until he retirement in 1983. He was a show more magazine writer. From 1977 to 1982, he was a columnist and associate editor for Field and Stream magazine. From 1982 to 2009, he wrote a monthly humor column called the Last Laugh for Outdoor Life magazine and served as the publication's editor-at-large. His work has also appeared in Reader's Digest, Sports Illustrated, and the New York Times. He published 14 collections of his columns including A Fine and Pleasant Misery and The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories. His other books include Real Ponies Don't Go Oink!, The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw, The Deer on a Bicycle: Excursions into the Writing of Humor, and Whatchagot Stew written with Patricia McManus Gass. He also wrote the Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery series. He died on April 11, 2018 at the age of 84. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
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Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1991
Classifications
- Genre
- Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 814.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American essays in English 20th Century 1945-1999
- LCC
- PN6162 .M3498 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Collections of general literature Wit and humor By region or country
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 411
- Popularity
- 75,119
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (4.29)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 4




























































