The black bass is not only the most popular American gamefish, fished for by millions, but is also one of the country's most iconic creatures, embodying many of the traits and virtues we like to think of as typically American. And yet, despite the hundreds of "how-to" books published on bass fishing over the years, few if any authors have stepped back to examine the bass's place in the natural world, to honor its virtues, and describe its remarkable...