A gift of words

Christmas is only about a month away, and the pressure is on to come up with appropriate gifts. If you're looking for something in the $10 to $30 range, consider giving a book or magazine to the people on your list who love the outdoors.

Fish Alaska magazine contains a variety of stories about fishing in Alaska, as well as columns and how-to articles. A 1-year subscription, 10 issues, costs $30. Subscribers have free access to Fish Alaska's on-line Regional Guides -- all the articles in past issues about fishing the Kenai River and other areas. The section goes all the way back to a 2002 issue, which contains "Back Bouncing 101," a how-to article by an expert on the subject, local fishing guide Greg Brush.

Salmon Trout Steelheader magazine is a good source for articles on how to fish for, you guessed it, salmon, trout and steelhead. A 1-year subscription costs $29.95. Subscribe to it at Frank Amato Publications (www.amatobooks.com), a source for several books on sport fishing.

Among the many magazine subscriptions costing under $30 per year are Fly Rod & Reel, Hunt Alaska, Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Sports Afield, Bowhunting, Birder's World, Men's Health, Women's Health and Gray's Sporting Journal.

There are herds of wonderful books related to fishing, hunting and the outdoors. To list a few: "Fishing Alaska's Kenai Peninsula: A Complete Angler's Guide" by Dave Atcheson; "Flyfisher's Guide to Alaska" by Scott Haugen; "Alaska Fishing: The Ultimate Angler's Guide" by Rene Limeres and Gunnar Petersen; "The Greatest Hunting Stories Ever Told" by Lamar Underwood (editor); "Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters" by Dave Smith; "Alaska Atlas and Gazetteer" by DeLorme (editor); "Fly Patterns of Alaska" by Alaska Flyfishers; and "Putting Up Fish on the Kenai: A Guide to Processing Alaska Salmon in the Cook Inlet Tradition" by Hazel Felton.

Among the books on my own shelf, one I recommend for anyone who likes fishing and history is "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World" by Mark Kurlansky. A book I've read several times is "Seasons of the Angler: A Fisherman's Anthology" by David Seybold (editor).

For a gift in the $30 to $50 range, check out "Top Water: Fly Fishing Alaska, the Last Frontier" by Troy Letherman and Tony Weaver.

When giving a magazine subscription, you'll impress the recipient by buying a copy of the magazine, wrapping it and including the subscription information in a card. When giving a book, a personal note inside the cover is a nice touch.

You'll find most magazines and some books at local stores. Magazines also can be ordered on the Internet. Books can be ordered at book stores and at several Web sites, including www.outdoorsdirectory.com, Amazon (www.amazon.com), Borders Books & Music (borders.com) and Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com).

Some gifts end up in a garage sale, but a good book becomes a prized possession.

Les Palmer lives in Sterling.