The Complete Angler - or, The Contemplative Man's Recreation

This is a handsome, custom fine binding copy of "THE COMPLETE ANGLER - or, The Contemplative Man's Recreation" by Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton. 1867; Little, Brown, and Company; Boston. The book is richly illustrated with numerous in-text drawings and full-page engraved plates (with tissue guards), including engraved portraits of Walton and Cotton. This copy has been beautifully bound by "MATTHEWS" (presumably William Matthews, American bookbinder who has been called "the most famous bookbinder America has produced") - The "MATTHEWS" stamp appears at the bottom edge of the inside front cover. Full leather binding with gilt decorations and lettering on the covers and spine, gilt page edges on all sides of the text block, five raised bands on the spine, marbled end papers, and intricate gilt decorations along the edges of the inside covers. A wonderful copy. The book measures 6 3/4" tall x 4 3/4" wide. Often called "The Bible of Fishing," the book is a celebrated 17th-century work that serves as both a practical manual on the art of fishing and a philosophical meditation on nature, friendship, and contentment. Written as a dialogue between an experienced angler and his students, it covers fishing techniques, fish habitats, and baits, while championing a peaceful life and a "study to be quiet" amid the turbulence of the English Civil War. Condition: Clean covers and spine with bright gilt. There are some small nicks to the leather along the outer edges of the covers. Corner wear. Bright gilt page edges on all sides of the text block. Tight binding with no loose pages. Both covers are firmly attached. Nice interior - the pages are clean with only some very mild foxing to some of the engraved plates, and a small stain at the top edge of the frontispiece. Name/date (1869) written in ink on a front end paper. Overall the book is in Very Good condition.…