The Warden’s Words
I hope you are enjoying the 25th anniversary issue of International Game Warden magazine. This magazine has seen many changes, including three publishers and editors, in its quarter century of existence, but information about game warden books has been a fixture for most of its life. Some of the early issues had full page reviews of just one book, and later issues included lists of books, provided by a number of readers of the day. In 1994, avid reader, book collector and Iowa Game Warden, Bob Mullen was one of the people who provided lists of books to the magazine. He then approached editor Don Hastings and asked him if he’d like a recurring book review column in the magazine. Obviously he did, as the “Rathouse Reader” debuted in the Winter 1994-95 issue. The column remained a regular feature in the magazine until the Fall 2003 issue, which was printed shortly after Bob’s retirement. Bob would usually write a short review of four or five books in each column in a straight-forward, no-nonsense style. His columns were often embellished with a short tale about “The Rookie” and his latest goof-up or stupid question. Upon retirement Bob and his wife decided to move into a smaller home, and with no room for his large collection of game warden books, he donated them to the North American Wildlife Enforcement Museum and then ramped things up for the next phase of his life.