Bob Brister and The Golden Crescent

I was fortunate enough to grow up down the road from the 1995 World Skeet Shooting Champion (410 bore) — Ed Isabelle — also a family friend. As a teen in central Pennsylvania, I accompanied Ed on a handful of bird hunts with his vizslas. Later, when he took up fly fishing, I was able to share some of my knowledge of trout with him as we waded Penns Creek together. I mention Ed because he was the first person to come to mind when I began to read the stories of Bob Brister–someone seemingly good at everything they did, such as authoring the modern classic shooting book ‘The Golden Crescent‘.

Background

Bob was a Texan, and like many Texans, he became fond of the outdoors at a young age. He eventually served in the Army, and in 1954, he became the outdoor editor for the Houston Chronicle, a position he held until 1993.

In addition, Brister began writing for Field & Stream in 1965, becoming the shooting editor in 1972. He quickly established himself as the premier writer on shotguns, as well as an honest reporter. In addition, he earned the nickname ‘Uncle Bob’ in sporting circles, reflective of both his genuine kindness and his knowledge and skill in a variety of disciplines.

Shotguns and Shooting

Brister was known as an exceptional shotgunner–combining practical skill with incredible knowledge of firearms and their history. He published ‘Shotgunning: The Art and the Science‘ in 1976. Notably, his favorite shotgun for bird shooting was a 12-gauge Merkel over/under. Sent to a gunsmith for repair, it vanished in transit, never to be seen again. Brister’s favorite hunting dog was a yellow Lab named Jake, named after a good friend who died young.

Brister contributed to numerous articles and books on upland hunting, shooting, waterfowl, bird dogs, and even fishing. His works appear with those of authors such as Robert Ruark, Nash Buckingham, Havilah Babcock, and George Bird Evans. One example is ‘Hunting Moments of Truth‘, edited by Eric Peper and Jim Rikhoff and published by the Winchester Press in 1973.

Of note, the illustrations in the book are from Milton C. Weiler, a name likely familiar to many who frequent this site, as numerous books from Weiler’s personal library are available in our shop and eBay store.

The Elephants of Chirisa

One of Brister’s most notable articles for Field & Stream was title ‘The Elephants of Chirisa’. It was published in the June 1982 issue of F&S.

“Hunting elephants is mostly walking. You may think you’ve gone on hikes before, but you haven’t until you try and overtake these creatures. And there is danger. Physically, at 6 tons, there’s nothing that can compare with an elephant, and it has several ways it can kill you—all backed by an intelligence that is just a click less than human. It’s not unusual for a PH to send his client back to the safari car in care of his head tracker while he decoys the herd away from them. At that point, it’s simply too dangerous to stick around.”

Brister explained the ordeal as well as any African tenderfoot ever has–and he got his elephant. However, it came with guilt and regret, as he publicly state, which at that time, very few people had the courage to do. Brister’s last sentence was: “I don’t think I will ever kill another elephant.”

The Golden Crescent

Among Brister’s various books, and even contributions, ‘The Golden Crescent‘ is generally widely regarded as his best. It includes a collection of short stories he wrote about hunting and fishing in Texas and Louisiana.

As a bookseller, I will attest that is a popular book among sporting collectors, and we have one of the nicest Golden Crescent sets I have had the pleasure of owning listed for sale on our site.

It is a first edition (third printing) of the deluxe set, illustrated with beautiful sporting paintings by Jack Cowan. It includes the original gold embossed box, an original card with a gilt embossed pattern and envelope, a large paper with an embossed whitetail buck, a signed letter from the Texas Folklore Society, an advertising flyer, and a golden tassel bookmark.

The book is signed by both Brister and Cowan. The cover is wrapped in genuine leather. A rare and beautiful complete set.