“I wish there were more books about fishing like this one – by turns witty, anarchic, informative and fun.” How kind. The full review is published on the Fishing Book Reviews website and you can read it there. Still, while we’ve got you, let’s pick out a few more choice comments: “...completely barking...” and “...funny as all got out...” and “As good inside as it looks from the outside...” Or for those of you who like to plan ahead, how about “I would definitely buy a copy and save it up for Christmas...”?

At last. It’s arrived. After a long, difficult fight, the new fishing book as finally been brought to the bank and netted safely. We’ve taken a quick photo here before returning her gently to the water to fight another day (and she will, believe me, she will). Anyone wishing to own a copy of their can pre-order from the shop on this site - and I’ll get a few extra pence (always worth doing in these times of thrift). There’s a Kindle version too but I’m not going to be promoting that until Amazon can be bothered to spell my name correctly. Meantime, check out the faux leather cover, the thoughtful illustrations and the way they reflect the undoubted gravity of the content inside. Can’t wait - and I wrote it.

I’ve written another fishing book. As I write this, thousands (millions?) of zeroes and ones are no doubt flying electronically through what our ancestors dubbed ‘the aether’ to some printers somewhere on the other side of the world where printing books is really cheap. Not that the book itself will be cheap. Or available any time soon. In fact, the publication date is going to be April 1st, 2012. Yes folks, my new book will be out on April Fool’s Day.

I love it. It’s a fishing book full of the things that are close to my heart and once the publishers have given the all-clear I’ll be back here with a front cover and some details of what’s inside. For now though, I’ll just sign off.

‘RB’

I’d love to pretend that I’ve been that industrious, but this is actually two of my previous books - 101 Things To Do In A Shed and 101 Incredible Experiments for the Shed Scientist - combined into one volume. From what I’ve seen so far, they’ve done a great job, the illustrations are still beautiful and it all fits together very nicely. What to expect? Sailboards and solar batteries, pipe holders and stilts, volcanoes and roller skates, tools, tips and techniques and a plenty of old-fashioned advice. We may live in a disposable world but this book tries to remind people that there’s a life beyond the plastic and the throwaway - so mend, make do and have fun.

I’m delighted to say that my latest book, The Outdoor Survival Bible, is now available from Amazon. If you buy it through my shop, I get a tiny extra payment, but hey - every little helps. The book is suitable for weekend hikers and boating enthusiasts (there’s a whole chapter about boat safety) as well as more serious wilderness campers. The intention was to produce something that would appeal to a broad range of outdoor types without getting too technical or too bloodthirsty. So while it gives advice about what to do in the event of a bear attack, it doesn’t tell you how to skin a moose for its fur or drink the contents of an elk’s stomach. If that’s the kind of thing you’re interested in I’d refer you to Ray Mears. Or maybe Sarah Palin.

OK, so it’s found its way into the bargain bin, but it’s still gratifying to see my Playing Cards book getting plaudits. “probably the only book in the entire section worth buying. “Playing Cards” could just be a perfect way to kill time and is the perfect book for a cabin library, frat house, or dorm.” says ‘becksta’ at the Game Book Club web site. So thanks for that. To remind anyone who’s not keeping up, this book includes 52 card games, 52 card tricks and 52 card techniques (sleight of hand, shuffles, cuts and so on) that pretty much anyone - and I mean pretty much anyone - can master easily. Read the rest of the review by going to the Game Book Club web site.

Well, how about that? My new book Playing Cards: The Complete Guide to 52 Games, 52, Tricks and 52 Skills is out this month. At least it’s out in the US according to Barnes & Noble’s web site. More news when I get it, but I wanted to flag this up to anyone who’s looking for late summer gift or early back to school present (or indeed anyone who has $9.98 in their pocket). It’s pretty much as described in the title and has some nice, easy-to-follow step by step instructions that explain how everything works. Details to follow.