An Honest Angler: The Best of Sparse Grey Hackle

Hackle was the pen name of Alfred W. Miller (1892-1983), an angler whose essays and articles appeared in many publications for a good part of this century. This collection of his magazine articles, newspaper columns and letters to friends has been put together by his daughter. He is disarmingly candid about why anglers fish: ""Your typical fisherman is... taking refuge from the realities of life."" He knows the history of fly-fishing, the rods, the gear (there's a delightful history of waders) and the companions one is likely to encounter. In a way it's unfortunate that Miller's reputation rests so heavily on his pieces about fishing, for he is a charming essayist on a number of quite unrelated subjects and an entertaining storyteller as well. His tales of his career in the Army chasing Pancho Villa in Texas and Mexico are captivating, as are his recollections of the Ambulance Service in France during WWI. Those who are skeptical about Miller's way with a phrase will be won over by several columns he wrote for the vacationing Red Smith, the dean of sportswriters of his time and an exceedingly tough judge of literary style. (Mar.)