Illustrated by Michael Simon

Like the extraordinarily successful A Year in Provence, this is a book about falling in love with the true essence of a geographical area -- its sights, smells, and sounds. The author’s passion for fly fishing provides a rich, lyrical backdrop for his observations, but Rivers of Shadow, Rivers of Sun is no angler’s guide.

Notes Zeigler, "For most Americans, the Continent is a place to soak up art, history, and culture.... Ours is a largely urban perception that belies the region’s wondrous cold-water fishing possibilities: the big rainbows of the Deutscher Traun, Jutland’s spring creeks, the freestone streams of the High Pyrenees.

"But for me, the fishing was always only part of the allure. What made Europe special were the exhilaration and adventure of travel, the thrill of discovering new waters, and the exotic flavors of foreign places. And, of course, there were the people, diverse in their politics, creeds, traditions, and nationalities, and yet -- to paraphrase Kipling -- brothers and sisters under their skin."

The writing in Rivers of Shadow, Rivers of Sun is beautifully crafted, and the book is handsomely illustrated with graphite-pencil drawings by renowned sporting artist Michael Simon. Join them in a journey long to be remembered.

Reviews

"A marvelous blend of angling yarns, history, social comment, philosophy, lasting friendships, and intimate sketches of the author and his companions. You will share the magic that fly fishing, its fraternity, and its environs engender in a comtemplative, intelligent, and gifted writer." -- Nelson Bryant, The New York Times

"Rivers of Shadow is a fine book and gave me great pleasure to read... It’s as much about that great deep mysterious passion as it is about place. Bravo! I hope it gets the attention it deserves." -- Nick Lyons, author and publisher of fly-fishing books

"A beautifully written, utterly engrossing account of his adventures. I couldn’t put it down." -- William Tapply, contributing editor, Field & Stream, and author, Gone Fly Fishin’: Ruminations on Fly Fishing

"Norm Zeigler, like Hemingway before him, lays open the Old World for a new generation of American fly fishermen and makes more personal sense of it than most of us have with our own Delaware, Missouri, or Big, Two-Hearted Rivers." -- Patrick Hemingway

"This is a unique and interesting book about fihing waters that most of us have never heard of and will probably never get to fish. Each chapter is a new adventure and indeed, an education in life itself..." -- Salmon Trout Steelheader

"Blending angling tall tales, history, insightful social commentary, introspective philosophy, and much more to offer a vivid taste of the mental clarity and enjoyment that can come from fly fishing, Rivers of Shadow, Rivers of Sun is an engaging testimony for enthusiatic fly fishers and armchair travelers alike." -- The Midwest Book Review

"As the title suggests, there are times of gladness mixed with sadness and sometimes verging on madness, but always the prose is lyrically alluring. This is an enchanting work, and readers will eagerly await more." -- Library Journal

"This book is more than a "how-to" manual. It is more about passion, a passion for exploration that uses fishing as a means to an end. this book is many things; it is part travelog, part fishing manual and part social commentary." -- Stars and Stripes, International Armed Forces Newspaper, Europe