'I envy no body but him, and him only, that catches more fish than I do.'
A unique celebration of the English countryside and the most famous book on angling ever published, Walton's Compleat Angler first appeared in 1653. In 1676, at Walton's invitation, his friend Charles Cotton contributed his pioneering exploration of fly-fishing. The book is both a manual of instruction and a vision of society in harmony with nature. It guides the novice fisherman on how to catch and cook a variety of fish, on how to select and prepare the best bait and make artificial flies, and on the habits of freshwater fish. It also promotes angling as a communal activity in which the bonds of friendship are forged through shared experience of the natural world.
Anecdotes, poetry, music, and song intersperse the rural descriptions, which promote conservation as well as sport. This new edition highlights the book's continuing relevance to our relationship with the environment, and explores the turbulent history from which it came.
- A new edition of the great classic of angling literature and the English countryside that celebrates its unique appeal as a fishing manual, work of pastoral literature, portrait of the natural world, and environmental champion
- The first edition to place The Compleat Angler in the context of ecocriticism and to highlight its focus on social relationships and the promotion of links between the human and natural worlds
- Based on the authoritative 1676 text, including both the final edition of Walton's Angler published during the author's lifetime, and Charles Cotton's pioneering fly-fishing treatise, first published as Part II of the 1676 edition of The Compleat Angler
- Includes the original illustrations plus four maps showing the locations visited by Walton's and Cotton's characters
- Introduction and Notes contextualize the work in the social and political context of the English Civil War, early modern literature, attitudes to the environment and conservation, natural history, and angling techniques
- Glossary of angling terms helps readers understand 17th-century angling practice
New to this Edition:
- Introduction by Marjorie Swann replaces one dating from 1901 by the novelist John Buchan, completely repositioning the work for modern readers in relation to ecocriticism of British literature, environmental history, early modern literature, the English Civil War.
- Note on the Text (none in current paperback).
- Select Bibliography (none in current paperback).
- Fuller Chronology with historical events.
- 4 maps.
- Much more comprehensive notes.
- Glossary of Angling Terms.
