| Book Review – By Decoy Magazine |
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To say that author Kroghie Andresen’s decoy collecting is a hobby is in some ways an understatement, as his collection over the past 30 years since acquiring his first decoy in 1979 has grown to nearly1100 decoys. An avid hunter since his early years in eastern North Carolina, he decided early on to focus and “limit” his collection to decoys from North Carolina and nearby Back Bay, Virginia which borders Currituck Sound and Knotts Island to its south. While collecting over the years, the author made a sincere attempt to document both the history of the decoys and the lives of their makers. While many collectors are aware of the titans of the area – Lee Dudley, John Williams, Alvirah Wright, and James Best to name a few – Andresen also sought examples of the lesser known carvers and quickly realized there was little documented information to preserve their histories. This book accomplishes that need. As the subtitle suggest, this book focuses on Back Bay, Virginia and Currituck Sound and Dare County, North Carolina, an area rich in hunting traditions and the location of some of the finest late 19th and 20th century hunting clubs along the eastern seaboard. It was also and area that thrived during the time of market hunting. The author decided to omit Hyde and Carteret counties in North Carolina, as author Jack Dudley had already produced books on those areas. We feel it was a missed opportunity to have one book that entirely covered the topic, however, seeing that this attempt is already 400 pages long the author may have made the right call. This book is broken into four chapters with the initial chapter, entitled “Waterfowling – Early Years,” providing an overview of the area’s history of market hunting and the proliferation of northern sportsmen who opened prestigious gun clubs along its shores. It also discusses the use of battery blinds and cast iron decoys, the firearms that they employed and an interesting description of the hunting practices used in luring ruddy ducks with decoys, a species for which the area is noted. The next three chapters provide an introduction to the three areas listed in the subhead – Back Bay, Currituck Sound and Dare County – and biographical information on their carvers. And each of these chapters is divided into distinct localities within these areas. Along with pictures of the makers and their decoys, each chapter includes a map that depicts where each carver and gun club was located as well as historical photos of the era. All are profusely illustrated, with the majority of the decoys from the author’s collection. The most noted carvers from Back Bay and Knotts Island include Bailey Barco, Oscar Carroll, John Williams, Charles Waterfield and Lee Dudley. Noted carvers from Cirrituck Sound include Ned Burgess, Bob Morse, Joe Hayman, and John Austin. Well known carvers from Dare County include James Best, Alvirah Wright, Manie Haywood, the Tillett family and Levi Perry. Many of them have already found voice among the collecting world. It’s the dozens and dozens of otherwise unknowns whose stories the author has brought to light. One intent of the author was to further the popularity of North Carolina decoys to a larger collecting audience. The other was to provide identification assistance for local collectors. He achieved both with the publication of this book. |
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| Spark Publications |
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Matthews, NC – October, 16, 2008: Matthews based SPARK Publications recently completed the production of a handsome hardcover collector’s edition book called Gunnin’ Birds. The 380-page, full-color volume features the personal collection of Kroghie Andresen, a retired Wachovia Bank executive. |
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