The Compleat Angler: Or, the Contemplative Man's Recreation

By Izaak Walton, Richard Le Gallienne, Charles Cotton

Book Overview

An immediate success when if was first published in 1653, Walton's classic celebrtion of the joys of fishing continues to captivate anglers and nature lovers with its timeless advice and instruction. Originally cast in the form of a dialogue between an experienced angler named Piscator and his pupil Viator, the book details methods for catching, eating, and savoring all varieties of fish, from the common chub to the lordly salmon. More than an engaging guide to the subtle intricacies of the sport, Walton's reflective treatise is a graceful portrait of rural England that extols the pleasures of country life. 'The Compleat Angler is not about how to fish but about how to be , ' said novelist Thomas McGuane. ' Walton] spoke of an amiable mortality and rightness on the earth that has been envied by his readers for three hundred years.'

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375751483
• ISBN13: 9780375751486
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: Modern Library
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Anciet fish for modern anglers

This is surely one of the earliest books available to the modern angler. But it's worth distinguishing 'anglers' from 'fishermen'. I take 'anglers' to be people who go after fish for fun or sport or pleasure and 'fishermen' to be people who go after fish for work. The first thing to be said about Izaak Walton's book, is that it is a play followed by a text book. The second thing, is that it's in a foreign language even to...

A lovely book

A lovely ramble with a fascinating old gentleman, quaint, charming, sunny and a true picture of one aspect of a bygone age and of the way our great-great grandfathers talked and lived. The fishing lore and natural history are hopelessly out of date but who cares? Has been in print for centuries and deservedly so.