Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G
Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT 59717-3320
United States
Phone (406) 994-4242
Fax (406) 994-2851
http://www.lib.montana.edu/archives/
University Archivist
spcoll@www.lib.montana.edu
Collection 2603, MtBC, us
Best, A.K.,
1933-
A.K. Best Collection
1983-2015
10.5 linear feet
The A.K. Best collection consists of letters, printed
emails, drafts of various books, published articles, flies, and awards. Materials
include business correspondence, manuscript material, published magazine articles
and periodicals, photographs, and memorabilia ranging from 1983-2015.
Collection materials are in English
Biographical Note
A.K. Best was born in 1933 in Iowa and currently resides in Colorado. Along with
previously owning Front Range Anglers, Best is a prominent fly tier, angler, and
angling author. Best published articles in magazines and journals such as
Fly Rod and Reel, and Mid
Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, as well as writing several books including:
A.K.’s Fly Box, Production
Fly Tying, Fly Tying with A.K., Advanced Fly Tying, and Fly
Fishing with A.K.
The A.K. Best collection consists of letters, printed emails, drafts of various
books, published articles, flies, and awards. Materials include business
correspondence, manuscript material, published magazine articles and periodicals,
photographs, and memorabilia ranging from 1983-2015. Included is a copy of
Production Fly Tying with handwritten notes from Best.
An interview by Best detailing his life as an angler and a fly tier can be found in
the Montana State
University Angling Oral History Project.
Series 1 Correspondence
Series 2 Manuscript Material
Series 3 Published Material
Series 4 Photographs
Series 5 Memorabilia
Donor retains copyright to all printed materials.
Letters, printed emails, book drafts, articles, flies, and awards created or
collected by A.K. Best were donated to Montana State University October 13,
2015.
This collection was processed 2019 April 1
Fishing
and Canning
Literature
Sports and
Recreation
Montana
Electroinc
Records
Photographs
Series 1
Correspondence
This series includes business correspondence with Orvis. The documents
include a project timeline, correspondence, invoices from Best, drawings of
specialty tools A.K. curated, and a letter to McKenzie Fly Tackle Company
addressing the unauthorized use of Best’s name on a product.
1/1
Orvis Business Correspondence
Series 2
Manuscript Material
This series contains A.K. Best’s manuscript material for his books
Advanced Fly Tying, A.K.’s Fly Box, Dying and Beaching
Natural Fly Tying Materials 1st edition, Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying Materials 2nd edition,
Fly Fishing with A.K., Fly Tying with A.K., Production Fly Tying 1st edition, Production Fly Tying 2nd edition, and Solitary Trouting. Additional materials include an untitled
poem, as well as early drafts for magazine articles for Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, Fly Rod and Reel, The
Bamboo Fly Rod, Fly Tyer
Magazine, Tightloop, and The Virtual Fly Fishing Shop. This series also
contains various manuscripts from authors such as John Gierach, David
Klausmeyer, Derrell Martin and Taylor Streit sent to Best for review.
Magazine article drafts start in Box 10, folder 3, and manuscript material
from other authors begin in Box 12. This series contains oversized materials
that have been separated from the series, the separation is denoted by an
asterisk (*) next to the folder from which the material was removed.
1/2
Advanced Fly Tying: Draft #3
1/3
Advanced Fly Tying: Draft #4
1/4
Advanced Fly Tying: Draft #5
1/5
Advanced Fly Tying: Draft #6
1/6
Advanced Fly Tying: Draft #7
1/7
Advanced Fly Tying: Final Copy
2/1
Advanced Fly Tying: Proof #1
2/2
Advanced Fly Tying: Draft with
Correction
2/3-4
Advanced Fly Tying: Miscellaneous
Drafts
2/5
Advanced Fly Tying: John Gierach
Introduction
2/6
Advanced Fly Tying: Correspondence and
comments to publisher
2/7
A.K.’s Fly Box: Draft #1
3/1
A.K.’s Fly Box: Draft #1
3/2-3
A.K.’s Fly Box: Draft #1 with
Corrections
3/4-5
A.K.’s Fly Box: Draft with
Corrections
3/6-7
A.K.’s Fly Box: Final Copy
3/8
A.K.’s Fly Box: Dummy Copy *
3/9
A.K.’s Fly Box: Correspondence with
Publisher
3/10
A.K.’s Fly Box: Floppy Discs
3/11
A.K.’s Fly Box: Advance Copy with
typo
4/1
Dying and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials: Draft #1
4/2
Dying and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials: Final Copy
4/3
Dying and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials: Photographs
4/4
Dying and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials: Negatives
4/5
Dying and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials: Negative Proofs
4/6
Dying and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials: Slides
4/7
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Draft #1 Author’s Copy
4/8
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Draft #1 Editor’s Copy
4/9
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Draft #4
4/10
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Manuscript Proof #1 Author’s Copy
5/1
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Manuscript Proof #2 Author’s Copy
5/2
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Manuscript Proof #2
5/3
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Manuscript Proof #3
5/4
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Dummy Copy *
5/5
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Correspondence
5/6
Fly Fishing with A.K.: Draft
#5
5/7
Fly Fishing with A.K.: Draft Marked for
Photographs
5/8
Fly Fishing with A.K.: Partial
Draft
5/9
Fly Fishing with A.K.:
Correspondence
5/10
Fly Fishing with A.K.: Photograph Lists
and Artwork
6/1
Fly Tying with A.K.: Draft #1
(partial)
6/2
Fly Tying with A.K.: Draft #3
6/3
Fly Tying with A.K.: Draft with
Corrections
6/4
Fly Tying with A.K.: Photograph
List
6/5
Fly Tying with A.K.:
Correspondence
6/6
Fly Tying with A.K.: DVDs with
Photographs
6/7
Fly Tying with A.K.: DVD Photograph Proof
Sheet
6/8
Production Fly Tying: Draft with
Forward
7/1-2
Production Fly Tying: Draft #1
7/3
Production Fly Tying: Early
Draft
7/4
Production Fly Tying: Index
7/5-6
Production Fly Tying: Notes
7/7
Production Fly Tying:
Photographs
8/1-2
Production Fly Tying:
Photographs
8/3
Production Fly Tying:
Negatives
8/4
Production Fly Tying: Negative Proof
Sheet
8/5
Production Fly Tying: Slides
8/6
Production Fly Tying: Book with
Notes
8/7
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition: Draft
#1
8/8-9
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition: Draft
#3
9/1
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition: Draft
#4
9/2
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition: Draft
#5
9/3
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition: Draft
#6
9/4
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition: Draft
#7
9/5
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition:
Miscellaneous Draft Chapters
9/6
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition: Chapter
#1 Proof
9/7
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition:
Correspondence
9/8
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition: Floppy
Discs
9/9
Production Fly Tying 2nd Edition:
Flies
10/1
Solitary Trouting: Draft with
Corrections
10/2
Untiled Poem
2001
10/3
The Bamboo Fly Rod: Drafts
10/4
F.B.N.: Drafts, Correspondence, and
Article Lists
10/5-7
Fly Rod and Reel: Drafts
10/8
Fly Rod and Reel Website: Article
List
2000
10/9
Fly Rod and Reel: Slides
10/10
Fly Tyer Magazine: Drafts
11/1-6
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide:
Drafts
11/7
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide: Article
Lists
1999-2000
11/8
TightLoop: Correspondence, Drafts, and
Slides
11/9
Virtual Fly Fishing Shop: Correspondence
and Drafts
11/1
David Klausmeyer: Tying Classic Fresh
Water Streamers
12/2
Derrell Martin: The Fly Fisher’s Craft
*
12/3
John Gierach: Dances with Trout
Miscellaneous Drafts
12/4
John Gierach: Sex, Death, and Fly Fishing
Miscellaneous Drafts
12/5
Taylor Streit: Instinctive Fly Fishing
Proof
Series 3
Published Material
This series contains published magazine articles and periodicals written by
A.K. Best ranging from 1983-2015.This series also contains interviews of and
published articles written about Best that include feature articles from
John Gierach.
13/1
American Angler
1991-2005
13/2
American Angler and Fly Tyer
1988
13/3
American Fly Tyer
1986
13/4
Angler Adventure News
1995
13/5
An Auction to Benefit the North Atlantic
Salmon Fund
2003
13/6
The Bamboo Fly Rod
1998
13/7
The Boulder Daily Camera
1984-2010
13/8
Colorado Country Life
2009
13/9
The Daily Times Call
1987-1996
13/10
Field and Stream
1990
13/11
Fishing Guide
1995
13/12
Fishing World
1985-1987
13/13
Flugfishe i Norden
2006
13/14
The Fly Fisher
1983
13/15
Fly Fisherman
1988-1994
14/1
Fly Fisherman
1995-2004
14/2
Fly Fisherman’s How to Catch
Trout
1988
14/3
Fly Fishing
1984-1988
14/4
Fly Fishing News
1990
14/5
Fly Fishing and Tying Journal
2000-2002
14/6
Fly Fishing and Tying Journal
2000-2006
14/7
Fly Rodders
2005
14/8
Fly Rod and Reel
July 1989 - February
2001
14/9
Fly Rod and Reel
March 2001- March
2002
15/1
Fly Rod and Reel
April 2003-February
2004
15/2
Fly Rod and Reel
April 2003-February
2004
15/3
Fly Rod and Reel
March-December
2004
15/4
Fly Rod and Reel
January-June
2005
15/5
Fly Rod and Reel
July 2005-February
2009
15/6
Fly Rod and Reel
March-November
2009
15/7
Fly Rod and Reel
December 2009-Autumn
2010
16/1
Fly Rod and Reel
Spring 2011-Spring
2012
16/2
Fly Tackle Dealer
Spring 1988-April
1996
16/3
Fly Tyer
Summer 1995-Spring
1996
16/4
Fly Tyer
Summer 2004-Spring
2015
16/5
Gray’s Sporting Journal
February 1993-March
2005
16/6
Guide to Hunting and Fishing
Outfitters
January 2005
16/7
High Country Sportsmen
September 1997
16/8
Hunter’s Angling Supplies
1989
16/9
Hunting and Fishing Guide
January 2003
17/1
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
April-December
1995
17/2
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
February-December
1996
17/3
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
February-October
1997
17/4
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
February-July
1998
17/5
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
August 1998-March
1999
18/1
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
April-October
1999
18/2
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
December 1999-July
2000
18/3
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
August 2000-February
2001
18/4
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
March-July 2001
18/5
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
February-June
2002
19/1
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
July-December
2002
19/2
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
February-June
2003
19/3
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
July-December
2003
19/4
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
February-June
2004
19/5
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
July-December
2004
19/6
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
February-June
2005
20/1
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
July 2005-February
2006
20/2
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
March-August
2006
20/3
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
September 2006-March
2007
20/4
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
April-August
2007
20/5
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
September 2007-April
2008
20/6
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
May-October
2008
20/7
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
December 2008-June
2009
21/1
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
July 2009-February
2010
21/2
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
March-August
2010
21/3
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
September 2010-April
2011
21/4
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
May-October
2011
21/5
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
December 2011-July
2012
21/6
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
August-December
2012
21/7
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
February-September
2013
22/1
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
October 2013-July
2014
22/2
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
August 2014-March
2015
22/3
Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide
April-December
2015
22/4
National Geographic
October 1993
22/5
Orvis News
March/April
2000
22/6
Outdoor Life
June 1996
22/7
Rocky Mountain News
1988
22/8
Rocky Mountain Sportsmen
January-April
1987
22/9
Rod and Reel
January 1987-October
1988
22/10
Sports Afield
January 1987-July
1988
22/11
Sunday Times Call
1987
23/1
Tightloop
Summer-Autumn
2001
23/2
Trout
Autumn 1988
23/3
Umpqua Flyer
Spring 1998
23/4
United Fly Tyers’ Roundtable
23/5
Western Fly Tying
Summer 1996
23/6
Western Outdoors
April 1986
23/7
Unidentified Publications
23/8
Ants
23/9
Basic Dying
23/10
Beetles
23/11
Grasshopper
23/12
Hackling Dry Flies
23/13
Hair Wing Dry Flies
23/14
Head Finishes
23/15
Leader to Line Knot
23/16
Soft Hackle Flies
23/17
Tailing Mayflies
23/18
Tying Thread
23/19
Whip Finishing
Series 4
Photographs
This series includes photographs of flies A.K. Best tied, as well as meadow
streams, fish, portraits of Best, and 35mm slide transparencies meant for
publication. This series contains oversized materials that have been
separated from the series, the separation is denoted by an asterisk (*) next
to the folder from which the material was removed.
35mm
Transparencies
23/20
#1-3
#1 Front Cover
#2 Chapter Pages
#3 A.K. Best
Photographs
23/21
Portraits, #4-7
#4 A.K. Best
#5 A.K. Best*
#6-7 A.K. Best with his
class
23/22
Flies, #8-16
#8-9 Fly
#10 Flies on river
#11-16 Fly
23/23
Meadow Fishing, #17-26
#17 River
#18 Hooked Trout
#19-21 Trout in hand
#22-23 River
#24 Flies
#25-26 River
23/24
Meadow Fishing
[DVD]
Series 5
Memorabilia
This series includes flies tied by A.K. Best as well as memorabilia such as
certificates awarded to Best over his lifetime and a hand drawn portrait of
Best by Mike Gula. This series contains oversized materials that have been
separated from the series, the separation is denoted by an asterisk (*) next
to the folder from which the material was removed.
23/25
Memorabilia *
23/26
Oral History Newspaper
Clipping
24/1
History of Fly Display Cases
24/2-4
Flies
25/1
Blue Wing Olive Cycle
25/2
Dunes and Spinners
25/3
Golden Fly
25/4
Orvis Samples
25/5
Hunter Samples
25/6-7
Flies
Oversize*
The following oversized materials has been separated from Series 2, 4,
and 5.
A.K.’s Fly Box: Dummy Copy
Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly Tying
Materials 2nd Edition: Dummy Copy
Derrell Martin: The Fly Fisher’s
Craft
Portrait of A.K. Best
Drawing of A.K. Best