A new limited-edition book chronicling the history of one of America’s grandest angling clubs will now be available in time for holiday delivery. The book’s release will coincide with the 75th anniversary of its subject, the storied West Palm Beach Fishing Club, and should be of considerable interest to anglers and sportsmen everywhere.
Titled **The West Palm Beach Fishing Club: A 75-year History **(2008, Silverfish Press), the book is being written by widely acclaimed author and veteran angler Mike Rivkin. He is a Past President of the Tuna Club of Santa Catalina Island and has released three other angling books, including Big-Game Fishing Headquarters: A History of the IGFA (2005, IGFA Press) and Angling and War: The Collision of Big Game Fishing and WWII (2007, Silverfish Press). Rivkin’s experience and expertise in this arena along with the Club’s own remarkably extensive archives will shed new light on this previously-unexplored part of angling history.
The West Palm Beach Fishing Club (WPBFC) is one of the oldest and largest institutions of its kind and among the most celebrated organizations in all of sport. Founded in 1934 as a civic antidote to the Depression, the WPBFC went on to pioneer such practices as the use of light tackle for sailfish, catch-and-release angling, and proactive resource advocacy. Along the way, the WPBFC has served as a key ambassador for the Palm Beaches, greatly helping to promote the region during its most formative years. While largely forgotten today, the Club’s impact over the decades on critical matters affecting the community has been nothing short of pivotal.
The book begins with the development of angling in Florida and the WPBFC’s founding in 1934. Among many other firsts, the Club’s Silver Sailfish Derby established in 1935 remains the longest running billfish tournament in the world. Rivkin takes the reader back to the ‘Golden Years’ when angling contests off the Palm Beaches were front-page news around the country. Unique personalities such as Cecil ‘Zeke’ Cornelius, Johnny Rybovich and Lansdell ‘Bounce’ Anderson emerged at the right time to guide the Club along its historic – if sometimes bumpy – path. Many great stories define the Club’s first 75 years, not the least of which is its very survival just as so many others have disappeared. Enriching Rivkin’s lively text are more than 200 classic images, many never before published, that help bring this compelling story to life.
The West Palm Beach Fishing Club: A 75-year History is currently on track for release in December of 2008. Pre-orders for the deluxe first-edition book are currently being taken at www.silverfishpress.com. A total of 900 signed-and-numbered copies will be made available to the public at $75 each. Club members will also have the chance to bid on 50 special presentation copies starting at $250. Proceeds from book sales will benefit the WPBFC and its future conservation and historic preservation initiatives.
For more information contact the West Palm Beach Fishing Club at (561) 832-6780.
