Soon after the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, the organization began publishing its house magazine, Turkey Call. The publication’s first editor, Gene Smith, was a veteran in the field who had cut his editing teeth working for Florida’s state wildlife agency. An easygoing, meticulous, and highly skillful editor, Smith not only steered Turkey Call to ever higher levels of appeal and readability during his long tenure as editor, he also served as something of a mentor to scores of sporting scribes. He had an uncanny knack for making writers better without intruding on their “voice,” and I’m confident that many others owe him a debt of gratitude for making us better.
The hallmark of a first-rate editor is to do just that, make writers look better and give their words great impact even as they avoid stealing whatever elements of style and expression that gives them their voice. Gene Smith was masterful on that front, and that no doubt explains why so many books in this collection carry warm, sometimes winsome inscriptions from their authors. The result is dozens of books with great appeal to anyone who cares about the lore and literary legacy of our grand American big game bird.
If you are interested, clicking on this link will download the full, detailed descriptions of each book along with their selling price. Check with Casada, the Editor at Large and Books Columnist for Sporting Classics, via e-mail at jimcasada@comporium.net if you have questions. Payment by check or cashier’s check only, and the checks should be made out to Jim Casada and mailed to me at 1250 Yorkdale Drive, Rock Hill, SC 29730. Telephone inquiries at 803-329-4354. Postage and handling will be $6 for the first book and $3 for additional ones up to a maximum of $12.