NYMPHS AND THEIR DRESSINGS. Being the actual patterns evolved described and dressed by that famous fisherman and great writer on matters piscatorial, G.E.M. Skues, Esq.

Skues (George Edward MacKenzie). (1858-1949).

Published by Creel Press. Haslemere, Surrey. 2014

About this Item

ALL UK PARCELS SENT TRACKED! ALL OVERSEAS PARCELS SENT AIRMAIL, TRACKED! (S/hand, Hardcover, 2014). 2014 1st edition thus. 8vo (168 x 236mm). Fully bound polished & patterned goatskin, blocked & titled in gilt. The text is a facsimile of the original hand-written manuscript, printed in black and red. The Afterword, by Timothy Benn, is in similar script. Not paginated: the few pages of text are printed on one side only. Each of the 13 nymphs has tying instructions on the facing page. Mint in burgundy cloth slip-case. Publisher's proof copy. Signed by the publisher, "Timothy Benn, October 2013." * The original was a bound manuscript of Skues's fly dressings containing actual flies in sunken mounts, text stencilled in black and red. A single copy only exists - in the library of the Flyfishers' Club in London. This is a close facsimile published November 2014, in a limited edition of only 25 numbered and five lettered copies, by Timothy Benn of Creel Press. The original was "Magnificently bound in gold blocked goatskin and elegantly hand lettered throughout, this masterpiece of 1930s fine book production contains 13 examples of the nymph patterns which Skues had devised over his long fishing life. Each nymph was dressed by the grand old master himself, attached to silkworm gut and housed in a step cut mount. On the page facing each nymph are the instructions for tying it and the most productive months for its use. The book contains a short introduction by Lt. Col. Henry Pack-Beresford, a longstanding member of the Flyfishers Club. There is also an admirably brief note from Skues in which he summarises the case for fishing these, the nymphs he had so painstakingly devised over the past 40 years." This facsimile edition has a Limitation Notice at the front, and ".the last six pages, which were blank in the original, have been used for an Afterword. This provides brief detail on Lt. Col. Pack Beresford, why Skues agreed to cooperate with him over the book and explains the seismic effect of its placement in the Flyfishers Club in 1936. It also contains notes on errors in the original text and credits those responsible for the facsimile." The original book was photographed (without being removed from the Club), by Terry Griffiths, the facsimile was produced by Westerham Press and Shepherds Bookbinders, and the flies for it were tied by John Smith, and it has a short Afterword by Timothy Benn. The book is titled on the spine simply as Nymph Dressings, and this is the title used on the prospectus for the facsimile edition. It is referred to as Nymph Fishing on the Limitation Notice. * "We always have a trial run before putting binding of any of our limited editions in hand to be sure that everything is spot on. In this case the copy came out perfectly - but the flies were mounted on a card very slightly thicker than the one we opted for for the full run. Other than being about 2mm thicker than the main run, and slightly heavier, it's identical in every respect. If sold, it will be inscribed 'Publisher's proof copy' or somesuch and signed by me." (Timothy Benn). .

Seller Inventory # 45038

Bibliographic Details

• Title: NYMPHS AND THEIR DRESSINGS. Being the actual patterns evolved described and dressed by that famous fisherman and great writer on matters piscatorial, G.E.M. Skues, Esq.
• Publisher: Creel Press. Haslemere, Surrey. 2014
• Binding: Soft cover
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)