Book by McDonald, John
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Origins returns to print the classic 1962 display of angling's, er, essay, "The Treatise of Fishing with an Angle." Pre-dating Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler by a couple of centuries, "Treatise" is a remarkable work on several levels, not the least of which is that its author was a woman, Dame Juliana Berners. Reportedly a nun of noble birth, she was the first to raise the leisurely pursuit of fishing to what was then the far more venerable rank of hunting. Fishing with a rod and a line, she suggested, brings to the angler good spirits and enhances life. Even if the intrepid angler catches nothing, Berners allows that "at the very least, he will have his wholesome and merry walk at his own ease, and also many a sweet breath of plants and flowers that will make him right hungry and put his body in good condition. He will hear the melodies of the harmonies of the birds...." To a large degree, this conceit--that angling is much more than catching fish--has been the bedrock of our best fishing literature ever since. Berners joyfully goes on with these pleasures, but she also dispenses plenty of theory and practice--indeed, her "Treatise" is the first codification of fishing as sport--from how to make a rod and tie a fly to what makes a good fishing hole. Remarkably, much of her thinking still holds.
The real fun of Origins is its presentation. McDonald, the author of several angling books, pens provocative essays on Berners's legend, her text's place at the tippet of fishing literature, and its contribution--with color illustrations--to the art of fly tying. Still, the centerpiece is the "Treatise" itself, which McDonald showcases in a trio of formats: an easily readable modernization, plus facsimiles of Dame Julia's original 1450 manuscript and its 1496 printing, complete with woodcuts. For booklovers with an angle, this is the biblio-equivalent of trophy trout. --Jeff Silverman
What is thought to be the first published essay on sport fishing - The Treatise of Fishing with an Angle, first printed in 1496 - is also believed to have been written by a woman: Dame Juliana Berners, by legend a nun and a noblewoman. This important book attempts to solve the mystery of the sporting nun and her pioneering work, and to bring the treatise itself back for the modern reader in modern idiom.The book naturally evolves into two parts. First, modernized versions of the original manuscript and the first printed version, for the reader who has a general interest in fishing and hunting and a curiosity about the origins of the style and the state of mind of sport. Second, facsimiles and transcripts (on facing pages) of the Treatise; a description and history of the manuscript; and a comparison of manuscript and printed text, for addicts of fishing, old manuscripts, comparative texts, minutiae of various kinds, and early modern English.The Origins of Angling is an appreciation of the first known piece of writing in English on sport fishing - its history, and its influence on the sport as it is practiced today. (81/4 X 11, 296 pages, color photos, illustrations, manuscript reproductions)
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Seller: Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Acceptable. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). Water Damaged. Reading copy only. This book is water-damaged and worn/marked. May be Ex-Library. HARDCOVER Oversized. Seller Inventory # 1558215875-01
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Condition: Fair. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). Acceptable/Fair condition. Book is worn, but the pages are complete, and the text is legible. Has wear to binding and pages, may be ex-library. 2.1. Seller Inventory # 353-1558215875-acp
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Andre Strong Bookseller, Blue Hill, ME, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good +. Dust Jacket Condition: very good. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). First edition thus. 9 x 12 in. Paper boards. Signed by McDonald on title pg. also with a signed inscription on the facing page. Condition is VERY GOOD+ ; no wear, very clean. Binding tight and text unmarked. DJ is VERY GOOD ; not clipped, some minor wear. Sport. Stax. Seller Inventory # 38445
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Prairie Creek Books LLC., Torrington, WY, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). F/F, hc, new old stock, 1/3 red binding along spine, silver text on spine, ix-xiii, 273 pages. Interior clean and bright, binding tight. No wear to dj, no chips or tears and dj enclosed in protective sleeve. 0. Seller Inventory # 008418
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Resource for Art and Music Books , Ivoryton, CT, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). First THUS. Signed by author on title page: 273 pp., plates (some color), ill., repros., 4to.: Bright, sharp, clean copy in a likewise DJ (touch of rubbing to edges of DJ, not clipped): Well packaged in a box, ships with tracking. Signed. Seller Inventory # 240402001
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Arundel Books, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). Folio - between 12" - 15" Tall. Clean, very good condition used copy. Title page signed by author. Seller Inventory # 00519408
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: River Reads, Torrington, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). 1st Edition. Seller Inventory # 022860
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Gilbert Trading Company, Shreveport, LA, U.S.A.
Condition: Fine. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). Signed by McDonald, 1st ed.; fine condition, DJ fine condition. Seller Inventory # GTC4841
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Fireside Angler, Smithtown, NY, U.S.A.
Hard Cover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). First Thus. xiii, 273 pp. Book: Signed by John McDonald & Nick Lyons on the title page Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Signed by Author & Publisher. Seller Inventory # 090119
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Books End Bookshop, Syracuse, NY, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. Howard, John Langley (illustrator). First Edition; First Printing. Signed by McDonald and publisher and fishing author Nick Lyons. ; 296 pages; Signed by All Authors. Seller Inventory # 432241
Quantity: 1 available