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List Price: $34.95Amazon.com's Price: $25.51 You Save: $9.44 (27%)as of 11/22/2009 11:03 EST
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 623.829
EAN: 9780760312414
ISBN: 0760312419
Label: MBI
Manufacturer: MBI
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 168
Publication Date: 2002-09
Publisher: MBI
Studio: MBI
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
The northwoods of Minnesota are home to one of the nations most enduring craftsmen and a true state treasure. Over the course of 65 years, Joe Seliga of Ely, Minnesota, has handcrafted over 650 absolutely sublime canvas-covered wooden canoes in his humble backyard shop. Among canoe and wooden-boat aficionados, the canoes built by this unassuming and self-taught 94-year-old are highly prized and deemed the best of the best. With specially commissioned color photography by outdoor photographer Deb Sussex and captions by Joes fellow master canoebuilder Jerry Stelmok, this celebration of Joes lifework details the creation of a Seliga masterpiece, from choosing the wood stock to the first launch. These unique and candid views of Joe at work inside his shop bear witness to the unique methods and handtools that he has developed since 1936, many of which are revealed here for the first time. Accompanying this inspiring record of Joes craft are the stories of his childhood as the son of an immigrant miner in the prewar northern wilderness, how he unexpectedly embarked on his storied career, and the role that his beloved wife Nora, who passed away in 1999, continues to play in his life. Stelmok also includes testimonials he has gathered from noteworthy Ely denizens like arctic explorer Paul Schurke and photographer Paul Brandenberg, as well as enthusiasts fortunate enough to own a Seliga canoe. Finally, Stelmok explains how; when Joe retires, his legacy will be carried on in a specially dedicated shop at YMCA Camp Widjiwagan in Ely, which owns and cherishes more than 40 Seliga canoes, some dating back to 1948.
Postscript: We are sorry to say that Joe has now passed on in 2005, but his spirit will live on through his canoes and the pages of this book.
Average Rating: 
Rating: -
As a camper at Camp Widjwagan (a YMCA camp outside of Ely, Minnesota) who has used Joe Seliga's canoes many times, I have to say that this is an excellent source of information about canoe making. He was a skilled artist who made magnificent canoes, and I'm honored to say I have used one of his own. So, thank you, Joe Seliga.
Rating: -
If you have any thought of building a canoe and want to stand beside a true artist in the field you should get this book. The photography is superb and you can't beat experience and Joe has that. The book shows a price sheet from 1946 when a 18 footer cost $178.00 so that gives you an idea of how experienced. A Beautiful Beautiful book.
Rating: -
I stopped by Joe's house in Ely to have him autograph my copy. We had never met before but he greeted me warmly, offered me cookies and a drink, showed me his shop, and added me to his list of people who want a canoe. This man is a national treasure and his canoes will be timeless heirlooms.
This book goes into great detail on how he crafts each of his beautiful, rustic, canvas-covered wooden canoes by hand and has given me a bold appreciation for how much work goes into just one ... Read More
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