A Note from Bill Gorman

As a boy, I always looked forward to visiting my great-grandfather L.L. at his retail store in Freeport. In my eyes, he was a strong, smiling man with a big personality presiding over a boy’s dream — a world of mesmerizing animal mounts, tents, axes, sleeping bags, and fishing rods. Although he died when I was only five years old, L.L. has been a powerful influence in shaping who I am today. The joy I receive from hunting, fishing, and just being outdoors is his legacy to me.

My great-grandfather was an astute entrepreneur and an eminently practical man, but he was, above all else, a passionate outdoorsman. That blend of passion and practicality is what led him to write his Hunting Fishing and Camping guide, which he said should be readable in eighty-five minutes. His point, after all, was not to immerse his audience in tales of the outdoors, but in the outdoors itself.

I would, however, suggest spending a little bit longer enjoying this edition of L.L.’s classic. First published in 1942, Hunting Fishing and Camping has lost some of its practical use as a hands-on manual in this twenty-first-century age of Gore-Tex rainwear and graphite fly rods (although a surprising amount of its advice still holds up today). But as a nostalgic look at a bygone era in the Maine woods, this book knows no equal. That’s one of the reasons we have decided to bring it back into print, with updated information about the ways our favorite outdoor pursuits have changed since L.L.’s day — and the ways they have stayed the same.

In many ways, too, L.L. Bean has changed since my great-grandfather was at the helm. While it is a much bigger company with a far broader line of products, L.L.’s influence endures in our legendary commitment to customer service. And today’s L.L.Bean actively promotes the responsible use of the outdoors that L.L. so deeply loved, through sustainable forest management, energy conservation, green building design, and use of alternative energy, as well as charitable support for conservation and outdoor recreation organizations.

Of course, the best way to convince people of the importance of conservation is to take them hunting, fishing, or camping, as my great-grandfather understood. L.L. introduced generations to the pleasures of experiencing nature firsthand. In his original introduction to this book, L.L. wrote that “venturing into the great open spaces… teaches us to forget the mean and petty things of life.” That is a lesson whose value has only increased with time.

— Bill Gorman, 2012