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Fifty Years a Hooker Hardcover – June 27, 2005

by Jeanette Mundus (Author), Frank And (Author), Frank Mundus (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 22 ratings
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The stories in Fifty Years a Hooker range from dramatic, nerve-pounding accounts of shark hunts to tales of comic misadventures, involving a host of eccentric characters who could not resist the pull of Frank Mundus´ legendary "idiot magnet". Mundus´ extensive compilation accurately reflects the book´s title. He was, indeed, a hooker. For fifty years he sold his services, took good care of his customers and saw to it that they had a good time, hoping that they went away satisfied and would come back again.Among the stories you´ll find in Fifty Years a Hooker are: White Shark, White Pineapple.The agony of waiting for the right writer. How I Got Started Shark Fishing.How a broken arm and two train wrecks kept me on the right track for a fishing career. The Pelican Disaster.My involvement in one of the worst maritime disasters off Long Island.Harry Hoffman and the Case of the Lost White Shark.The zany fishing misadventures of my friend, Harry Hoffman, and me.The 4,500 lb. White Shark.My mate, my customers and I fight one of the largest whites ever taken commercially by harpoon.Peter Gimbel.The first man who swam with sharks, while I rode shotgun. The time an ice-cream cone saved my life, plus other close calls. The time I hollered at Jackie Onassis for jay-walking on the island of St. Maarten. The St. Maarten Sting: Or, How I Sold the Cricket III Borrowing a storyline from the movie The Sting, I sell my other boat and outsmart a couple of Caribbean pirates. Portrait of the Artist as an Idiot. A mysterious artist (who lost the Mayor of Shelter Island´s bust!) claims me as his muse for a watercolor of a white shark.Mundus of Arabia.A Saudi Prince hires me to pioneer shark fishing in the Red Sea. I just miss a public beheading and narrowly escape one year in jail. The 3,427-lb White Shark. In 1986 I achieve my lifetime ambition of catching the largest fish of any kind on rod and reel, with the help of some seasoned mates and an experienced angler.Pistol-Whipped by the Law.A mate´s dog and his ex-wife set off a chain reaction which culminates in my arrest for possession of a firearm. Three-time Loser, Fourth-time Winner.The two happiest times in a man´s life are when he buys a boat and sells it . . . and sells it and sells it, and hopefully sells it again, like I did!Getting to the Heart of Things.I remarry, burn my snow shoes and retire to Hawaii, where I plant pineapples and fruit trees, adopt a orphaned 350 lb. wild boar, and survive open-heart surgery, aneurysm repair and prostate cancer. My South African Shark Safari.In which I travel to South Africa with the Discovery Channel and hook up with white sharks once more-this time through the lens of a camera.
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  1. Print length
    444 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Xlibris
  4. Publication date
    June 27, 2005
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.13 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1413484298
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1413484298
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

A year before the summer blockbuster "Jaws" was released in 1975, ABC's "American Sportsman" TV program chartered my boat to promote the movie. "Jaws" author Peter Benchley also rode along on this trip. Benchley stood shoulder-to-shoulder with me on the boat for five days. When I saw the movie "Jaws" for the first time, it was like looking into a mirror: My personality and career had been the basis for the character "Quint."

And so I decided to set the record straight by writing my autobiography "Fifty Years a Hooker", which describes how I got hooked on shark fishing, and in turn, how I hooked my customers--this also made me a hooker because I got paid for it!

Everything in this book is 100-percent true--I wouldn't have it any other way!

About the Author

Frank Mundus' shark fishing career has spanned fifty years. He pioneered the sport of shark fishing in 1951 and has co-authored two other books "Sportfishing for Sharks" (Macmillan, 1971) with Bill Wisner and "Monster Man" with Robert F. Boggs. In 2005, Mundus appeeared in a Discovery Channel one-hour biographical special for Shark Week. Jeanette Mundus: "Fifty Years a Hooker" is a collaborative effort with her husband Frank on his autobiography.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Xlibris (June 27, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 444 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1413484298
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1413484298
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.53 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.13 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 22 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
22 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

charliegirl
5.0 out of 5 stars Fifty Years a Hooker
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2013
Verified Purchase
I remember seeing Frank Mundus of television several years ago and I was fascinated by him. He had been known forever as "the shark man". When the great whites off Africa were first pictured "flying" out of the water, Frank Mundus was asked to accompany some of these men on their research and actually "fixed" the dummy seal being towed so that it looked injured. He was awestruck when he saw that first great white come totally out of the water. From that day he was not for reeling in and killing these great beings. His language is what you'd expect from someone who was on the water all his life. After reading his books, I surely would have liked to have met this man. He was one interesting character and reading his books was captivating for me. I certainly recommend reading "fifty years a hooker". I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
3 people found this helpful
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Ael Jr
4.0 out of 5 stars ... your a shark fan but his story and a good one. He was colorful to say the
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2014
Verified Purchase
Nothing new if your a shark fan but his story and a good one. He was colorful to say the least
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Ralph Pidgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars This was a gift.Therefore I don't know.
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2022
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One person found this helpful
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Jon
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2014
I did not buy this from amazon, I used to work I Montauk and knew Frank. I used to talk to him everyday at Star Island Yacht Club. I ordered an autographed copy from him as he was out, I knew I would have to wait Todd a copy but when he went back to Hawaii he had a massive heart attack upon landing. Jeanette called me and asked if I still wanted a copy of the book, even though it wouldn't be signed. Of course I said YES!! When she mailed me the book she included a small wooden shark keychain that I currently use as a Christmas ornament. I treasure this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Meehhhh
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
Its not a typical autobiography, rather a series of short(sometimes very short) stories that sound outrageous. He puts the emphasis on the mundane and the stories rarely deliver in the end.
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Jcush
4.0 out of 5 stars Took too long to receive product
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2012
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Great book. I will never use SuperbookDeals again to purchase another item; I had to wait over two weeks to get this book.
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Francine A. Manara
5.0 out of 5 stars FIFTHY YEARS A HOOKER
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2005
A WONDERFUL BOOK ABOUT AN INCREDIBLE MAN!

THIS IS THE TRUE FRANK MUNDUS STORY AND THROUGH THIS BOOK YOU

RELIVE THE AMAZING ADVENTURE HE CALLS HIS LIFE!!

A MUST READ FOR ANYONE WHO HAS HEARD OF FRANK MUNDUS AND ALSO FOR ANYONE WITH ANY INTEREST IN SHARK FISHING.
5 people found this helpful
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Booker212
4.0 out of 5 stars very interesting/informative
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2007
Verified Purchase
I purchased this for my husband who fishes and he loved it. Very informative and interesting history. Anyone that has an interest in sharks shark fishing will enjoy this book.
3 people found this helpful
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Parsec
4.0 out of 5 stars Ein Meister der Selbstinszenierung - und ein ziemlich unterhaltsamer dazu!
Reviewed in Germany on June 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
Das Wichtigste vorab: man kann Frank Mundus finden wie man will, aber es dürfte über zwei Punkte weitgehend Einigkeit herrschen: erstens, dass dieser Mann ein echtes Original war, und zweitens, dass es sich bei ihm um einen definitiven Meister der Selbstinszenierung handelt. Mundus hat somit in meinen Augen interessante Parallelen zu anderen (amerikanischen) Mediengestalten wie R. Lee Ermey, Mr. T oder Hugh Hefner. In Punkto Selbstinszenierung macht diesen Herren Niemand was vor.

Mundus nun hat natürlich den mühsam aufgebauten Ruf des "wahnsinnigen Monster-Man" zu verteidigen, der in den Augen vieler Zeitgenossen völlig verrückt war, mit seinem Boot die übelsten Fische des Ozean zur Strecke brachte, die grösster Fänge heimbrachte und der natürlich die wichtigste Inspiration für "Quint" aus Jaws war... und zumindest in seinen Augen den Welterfolg von "Jaws" für Peter Benchley und später Steven Spielberg erst ermöglicht hat.

Man sieht - an Selbstbewusstsein mangelte es Mundus keineswegs. Allerdings sei auch immer wieder klargestellt, das in seinem Business auch Klappern zum Handwerk gehört... einen bescheidenen "Monster-Man" hätte wohl keiner registriert.

Wie nicht anders zu erwarten liest sich 50 YEARS A HOOKER durchaus unterhaltsam - Mundus wusste durchaus, welche Stories man von ihm lesen will, und die liefert er definitiv ab... wobei er natürlich viel über die Haijagd und insbesondere die Jagd auf weisse Haie schreibt, eben die Sachen, mit denen er berühmt wurde.

Eines fällt bei der Lektüre sofort auf: egal wie sehr Mundus auf durchgeknallter Seemann machte, man merkt, dass dieser Mann durch und durch Medienprofi war. Er kann unterhaltsam erzählen, er setzt seine Pointen richtig, und er versteht es, immer wieder anzuecken, ohne sich dabei zu sehr ins Abseits zu stellen, und er kann sich aus dem Fenster lehnen, ohne es völlig zu übertreiben - im Prinzip schreibt und redet er also so, wie man es von ihm erwarten kann.

Seine unter heutigen Gesichtspunkten und natürlich unter heutigen Umweltschutzaspekten gerade in jungen Jahren völlig unhaltbare, katastrophale Einstellung zur Haijagd hat Frank Mundus wie fairerweise eingeräumt werden muss in seinen letzten Lebensjahren ja durchaus revidiert und sich mehrfach für den Schutz dieser Tiere ausgesprochen. Mundus betont in seinem Buch aber auch, das Finning, Langleinenfang und Schleppnetze tagtäglich mehr Schaden an der Haipopulation anrichten als er es zu seinen schlimmsten Zeiten in Jahrtausenden geschafft hätte. In den 70ern und 80ern wusste man Vieles nicht besser, und Mundus gibt unumwunden zu, sich über das Thema "sind Haie vom Aussterben bedroht?" lange Jahre nie einen Gedanken gemacht zu haben... in späteren Jahren sah er dies glücklicherweise wesentlich kritischer und beurteilte auch sein eigenes Verhalten differenzierter.

Interessant ist, das Mundus in seinem Buch mit vielen Haimythen im Vorbeigehen aufräumt. Die von Haien auf Menschen ausgehende Gefahr hat er auch schon vor "Jaws" für grotesk übertrieben gehalten und einenso genannten Fressrausch bei Haien hat gerade er (!) auch noch nie gesehen. Das Verhalten von Haien wird von Mundus ebenfalls immer wieder angesprochen.

Wiedersprechen muss man allerdings Mundus, wenn er meint, das Peter Gimbel (ganz ohne Frage ein Pionier auf dem Gebiet) als erster ungeschützt mit Haien tauchte. Hier hat beispielsweise Hans Hass so etwas knapp 30 Jahre vorher gemacht.

Wie dem auch sei: Mundus verstand es, seine Gäste zu unterhalten, und das gelingt ihm auch mit seinen Lesern. Ich bin in Vielem nicht einer Meinung mit Mundus und freue mich sehr, dass er in seinen letzten Lebensjahren die Haie in Schutz nehmen wollte... was er davor machte ist dann doch sehr grenzwertig. Alle, denen wie mir der Schutz der Haie am Herzen liegt dürfen insofern froh sein, dass Frank Mundus zumindest in seinen letzten Lebensjahren seinen Namen dafür verwendete, den Ruf der Haie zu verbessern, ihre auf den Menschen ausgehende, völlig übertriebene Gefahr zu relativieren und auf die akute Bedrohung vieler Haibestände hingeweisen hat. Man darf davon ausgehen, dass Mundus einige Leute erreichte, denen solche Themen ansonsten völlig schnuppe gewesen wären.

Die Biographie von Mundus liest sich dennoch definitiv unterhaltsam. Von mir gibts knappe vier Sterne!
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