The Complete Angler or The Contemplative Man's Recreation: Being a Discourse on Rivers, Fish-Ponds, Fish, and Fishing.

First Hawkins edition of Walton's classic work. Octavo, original full speckled tan calf with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, black morocco spine label, engraved frontispiece, illustrated with fourteen engraved plates, seventeen in-text engravings of fish, and several engraved headpieces, tailpieces, and initials. In very good condition with some rubbing to the extremities. Housed in a brown cloth clamshell with "Brooke Dolan 1940" stamped in gilt on front panel. "Breathes the very spirit of innocence, purity, and simplicity of heart . . . it would sweeten a man's temper at any time to read it" (Charles Lamb). First published in 1653, this literary and nature classic was created by a Londoner with a passion for rustic life. As satisfying a primer on fishing as any angler could wish, it celebrates the art and spirit of fishing with verse, song and folklore, moral reflections, and timeless wisdom. Cast in the form of a dialogue between the veteran angler Piscator and his pupil Viator, it both informs and delights with an ingenious exploration of fishing's subtle intricacies and the pleasures of the natural world. Though intended in part as a practical guide for fishermen, the lasting influence of The Compleat Angler stems from its qualities as a work of literature: it is arguably the best long prose-pastoral in English.…