An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List

Cormac McCarthy

6 books referenced

Books by Cormac McCarthy

The Crossing

Referenced in 4 episodes

Ep. 605: A Woman Among Wolves

September 30, 2024

Context:

Steve references this Cormac McCarthy novel in the context of discussing wolf trapping techniques. He describes a scene where a character tries to catch a Mexican gray wolf by setting a trap in his fire pit.

Ep. 222: Morels in the Time of Covid

May 25, 2020

Context:

Referenced as part of McCarthy's Border Trilogy during discussion about the three-toed wolf story. Speaker asks if the wolf story was the inspiration for this novel about a wolf causing trouble with cattle in New Mexico.

Ep. 102: El Surpriso: The Grey Ghost

February 05, 2018

Context:

Speaker asks if others have read 'The Crossing by Corny McCarthy' and mentions it's part of the Border Trilogy. The book is referenced while discussing crossing the border into Mexico and the landscape. Speaker recommends reading 'every Cormick McCarthy book you can get your hands on' and mentions finding 'keys to marriage' in McCarthy's work.

Ep. 074: Gray Wolves

July 27, 2017

Context:

Steve Rinella asks if someone is familiar with McCarthy's Border trilogy and specifically recommends 'The Crossing.' He describes it as being about a kid who grows up on the New Mexico-Mexico border, catches a wolf that's been killing cattle, and decides to take it to Mexico rather than kill it. This comes up during a discussion about Mexican gray wolves and their historical range along the border.

No Country for Old Men

Referenced in 6 episodes

Ep 498: Hunting, Singing, and Going Dry with the Turnpike Troubadours

November 27, 2023

Context:

Steve Rinella discusses how the book feels like a hunting book because of the blood trailing scene where the protagonist finds the massacre site. They analyze how McCarthy uses hunting as a backdrop for the story.

Ep. 492: Fishing and Films with Rob Lowe

November 06, 2023

Context:

While primarily discussed as a 2007 Coen Brothers film, Steve explicitly references 'Cormac McCarthy' in relation to the story, saying 'I always celebrate Cormac McCarthy for how sure tight, how tight everything is,' indicating awareness of the source novel.

Ep. 245: Luke Combs on the B-Side of Hunting

November 02, 2020

Context:

Referenced in a discussion about story endings and narrative structure. Steve mentions 'Remember at the end of No Country for Old Man?' when discussing how the antagonist checks his boots for blood. Earlier, Cormac McCarthy is discussed as a writer who 'does his homework' and gets details like firearms exactly right in his work.

Ep. 190: What's in Your Freezer?

October 14, 2019

Context:

Referenced in a discussion about tracking animals with radio collars. Speaker asks 'Have you guys watched or read No Country for Old Men?' and then compares driving around with a radio receiver to find collared turkeys to a scene from the story where someone drives around trying to find money with a transponder.

Ep. 077: African Hunting

August 14, 2017

Context:

Referenced in a discussion about how literary writers versus outdoor writers handle technical details like firearm specifications. Used as an example of a literary writer who doesn't specify calibers.

Ep. 040: Paducah, Kentucky. Steven Rinella talks with small-game and catfish aficionado Kevin Murphy, along with Janis Putelis, Garret Smith, and Adam Moffat from the MeatEater crew.

July 22, 2016

Context:

Discussion of Cormac McCarthy's book 'No Country for Old Men' (referred to as 'No Control Man' in speech, likely a transcription of spoken dialogue). The speaker discusses McCarthy as 'probably the greatest living American writer' and references both the book and its film adaptation by the Coen Brothers. The conversation focuses on a scene where the main character shoots an antelope and gets a bad hit, then comes across dead bodies and money while trailing the wounded animal. The speaker also discusses McCarthy's use of esoteric, old-timey references and specifically mentions a 'horn of fire' reference from the end of the book/movie.

The Road

Referenced in 3 episodes

Ep. 250: Doin' it Your Own Way with Whiskey Myers

December 07, 2020

Context:

Discussion about reading the book versus watching the movie adaptation, and how the reader's imagination differs from the film's portrayal of characters. Described as being about a boy whose dad dies and he gets picked up by someone at the end.

Ep. 098: Jon Mooallem

January 08, 2018

Context:

Referenced in discussion about shifting baseline syndrome and how people normalize their circumstances. John mentions 'even if Cormac McCarthy's the road right, there's only so much anxiety to go around' when discussing how future generations will adapt to their conditions.

Ep. 004

March 06, 2015

Context:

While discussing their journey trying to pick up friends on a long road walk, someone compares their experience to 'the mccormi mccarfew novel, The road' (likely referring to Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel 'The Road'). The comparison is made to emphasize the difficulty and length of their journey on the road.

Blood Meridian

Referenced in 1 episode

Ep. 180: Teeth, Horns, and Claws

August 05, 2019

Context:

Steve Rinella mentions Blood Meridian in a discussion about book titles, comparing it to Doug's book title 'Animal Weapons' by noting that some titles (like Blood Meridian) don't necessarily tell you what the book is about, while 'Animal Weapons' is more direct.

All the Pretty Horses

Referenced in 1 episode

Ep. 074: Gray Wolves

July 27, 2017

Context:

Mentioned as part of Cormac McCarthy's Border trilogy alongside 'The Crossing.' Rinella recommends reading these books during the discussion about Mexican gray wolves and the border region.

The Border Trilogy

Referenced in 1 episode

Ep. 014

July 23, 2015

Context:

Steve Rinella recommends reading Cormac McCarthy's works, specifically mentioning 'the Border trilogy,' as marriage advice. He suggests that internalizing McCarthy's moral code, which is consistent throughout his works, will lead to a better marriage. He discusses how McCarthy's works deal with people trying to live in a world that existed before they made certain decisions.