Soon to be a Major Museum Exhibit
Opening September 24th, 2010

The Tuckerton Seaport & Museum

A young boy falls in love with the river and the lifestyle of the River Rats - men who live off the river itself and would eventually become the legendary Hunter-Carvers of the Delaware River.  His struggles to impress them and join their ranks place him at the center of intense conflict.  The progress and growth of the region is destroying the river he loves, driving the waterfowl he pursues further from his reach, while the growing tension between he and his father mirrors the loss of the uniquely American lifestyle that the River Rats represent. 

At the center of his struggle resides the decoy - the symbol of all that the hunter-carvers stand for, the primary tool of their trade, and each man's reputation embodied in this uniquely American art form.  With no other option and no guidance, the boy faces a daunting challenge: to hunt the river and join the River Rats he must learn to make decoys entirely on his own.

His path carries him through the heart of this conflict as he struggles to achieve his dream and faces becoming the last of this dying breed, entering water never before travelled by a River Rat.  Will he earn national respect for his ability and inadvertently his life's choices, or will he disappear like every other River Rat before him?

Pelican Publishers, one of the nation’s most respected publishers, will tell the true-life story of Vincent Giannetto III in its August 2010 national release:  “The Decoy Artist, America’s Last Hunter-Carver”.  Heralded as the last of the true, old-time Delaware River Hunter-Carvers by such magazines as Hunting & Fishing Collectables Magazine and Wildlife Art Magazine, Vincent Giannetto, III has risen to a level of national prominence that has carried him to our nation's White House, placed his artwork in the Smithsonian Museum and the windows of Rockefeller Center, and made his life's story the center piece of major museum exhibits.

Join the Mailing List to Receive Updates on the Book