The
Compleat Angler
By Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton
The Complete Angler or The Contemplative
Man's Recreation was first published in 1653
and is the classic work on fish and fishing. There
were four further editions carefully supervised
by the author during his lifetime, the last in
1676. It has become one of the most reprinted
books in the history of British letters. Many
collectors have made a passion of collecting only
the numerous editions of The Compleat Angler.
Three sportsmen, a fisherman (Piscatoi, who
is Walton himself), a hunter (Venator), and
a fowler (Auceps), travel north through the
countryside from Tottenham to Ware along the
river Lea on the first day in May; they discuss
the relative merits of their respective pastimes.
Venator becomes a pupil of Piscator, and is
systematically introduced to the arts of angling
for various species of freshwater fish, along
with a wealth of advice about watercraft, pisciculture
and country lore. In the fifth edition there
appeared a second part by his younger friend
Charles Cotton, which largely concerns fly-fishing
on the river Dove, a subject Walton knew little
about.
The book is often wrongly assumed to be the
first of its kind in the language, but is in
fact partly an anthology of previous writers
on fishing and the mass of related subjects.
As well as numerous borrowings and adaptations
from the extensive tradition of piscatorial
literature, it includes about 40 songs and verses
and contains some fine examples of both pastoral
and devotional writing. It is a unique combination
of manual and meditation, and the way in which
the personality of the author, both widely read
and practically experienced, pervades the whole
shape and flavor of the book is the reason for
its lasting appeal to sportsmen and general
readers alike.
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