The Arte of Angling

[Chris Plumb]

Bit of a long shot this - though some of you may consider it a challenge!!

 

I'm trying to track down an on-line edition of the above book. It was first published in 1577 and is the 2nd ever printed work (in English) on angling. Izaac Walton plagiarised it, lifting whole sections verbatim and even used the same 'treatment' - that of a conversation between hunter and angler - for The Compleat Angler. He is even said to have copied mistakes from this earlier work into his own.

 

Would quite like to see the comparisons for myself - hence the request. I have found it relatively easy to find on-line copies of Compleat Angler, The Treatise of Fishing with an Angle and even the Aelfric Colloquy (A Saxon writing from the 10th Century) but haven't been able to track down this one (the first time the mighty Google has failed me!!)

 

I've been recommended dogpile & startingpage as other search engines I could try - any other recommendations??

 

TIA

 

Chris

[Newt]

Chris - take a look Here for some interesting information including a link to some information about the 1956 reprint of the book.

 

And again Here for a site that says they have copies (reprints I'm sure ) for sale of The Arte of Angling and several other very old angling books.

 

[ 27 March 2002, 03:02 PM: Message edited by: Newt ]

[miasma]

Chris..checkout... www.ffcl.com/fulllist.asp

Only known copy donated to Princetown University

in 1950's....

Be Lucky!...miasma..

[Chris Plumb]

Cheers guys - already read this stuff - thanks anyway...

 

Chris

[richardw]

I'm trying to track down an on-line edition of the above book.

 

Come on Chris, pay up and buy a copy.

 

You have the link already to the fly fisher's library. It's a great edition and lovely to read especially if you read the facsimile pages with all the margin notes from down the centuries, starting with Elizabethan handwriting through to the nineteenth century.

 

richard

[OP-JB]

Chris,

 

Some people even think Issac quoted so much from this book because it actually belonged to him, a possibility that always makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

 

OP -JB

[Chris Plumb]

OP-JB:

Chris,

 

Some people even think Issac quoted so much from this book because it actually belonged to him, a possibility that always makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

 

OP -JB

WOW that is a thought - looks like I'll have to invest in a copy if I want to read it!! Spent 3 hours of intensive searching last night to no avail! - found an interesting little tome "The Art of Angling" (note, without the e) from the early 17th Century by Barker which was a fascinating read.... but not what I was looking for.

 

Chris

[Vagabond]

Having copies of both "The Arte of Angling" and "The Compleat Angler", I am able to offer a few points that may be of interest to our angling historians out there.

 

Firstly, the style of the two books, which are BOTH in the form of a discourse between Piscator and Viator., suggest that Walton had certainly read "The Arte of Angling". He even used the same names for the characters, but changed Viator to Venator in his second edition, and by the fifth edition had brought in other characters, such as Auceps (a falconer), Peter and Coridon (anglers) a milkmaid and her daughter Maudlin. So he certainly copied Samuel's idea - a good idea too, with a delightful style.

 

There are certain passages, particularly instructions how to breed maggots, and how to prepare malted corn for the hook, that are almost identical in the two books, which suggests Walton had "The Arte of Angling" by him when he wrote. But why shouldn't he ? These passages are both a bit like recipes - the detail has to be right - so why not quote it ? Admittedly, Walton made no acknowledgement of Samuel and some might criticise that. However, Walton does acknowledge four other angling writers (Mascall 1590, Dennys 1613, Markham 1614 and Barker 1651), so perhaps that is an oversight (or possibly religious prejudice - Parson Samuel was some sort of religious extremist)

 

Interestingly, Walton 's suggested trout flies are similar to those mentioned in "The Treatyse" of 1496, but without acknowledgement again. However, I think those patterns were pretty widely known by Walton's time - if he had access to Dame Juliana's book, I don't think he could have resisted the details re legering dead herrings for pike. As it was, dead herrings were not mentioned after 1496 until the Taylors re-invented and popularised the method in the 1950s - almost 500 years to the day from the first handwritten version of "The Treatyse" in 1450 - now THAT'S something OP-JB, that should make the back of your neck prickle!

 

However, to be fair to Walton, we should note that Samuel mentions only the following nine fish:- Pike, Perch, Ruffe, Roach, Dace, Chub, Bream, Carp, and Gudgeon. Walton mentions all of these, PLUS Trout, Grayling, Salmon, Eels, Lampreys, Tench, Barbel, Minnow, Loach, Bleak, Rudd, Bullhead, Stickleback, Gwyniad, Char and Flounder. A total of twenty-five fish.

 

My personal view is that Walton borrowed freely from several of the seven known angling writers who preceded him - and there is nothing wrong in that - try writing about fly fishing for river trout without using material already covered by Maryatt, Halford, Sawyer or Skues ! Or in modern terms - quoting one source is plagiarism, quoting several sources is research.

 

Talking about fly fishing reminds me that in the fifth Edition of "The Compleat Angler" when Charles Cotton enters with part II, HE starts with a dialogue between Piscator and Viator (not Venator - as used by Walton in that edition)

 

Hope this is of interest Chris and others - the reprint of the Arte of Angling (Fly Fishers Classic Library) also contains fascinating material on how the Author was traced and identified -recommended reading!

[Chris Plumb]

Cheers Vagabond - that's really whetted the appetite to go and buy a copy of 'The Arte...'

 

Chris

[phonebush]

Chris,

The works of Issac are at:

http://authorsdirectory.com/

Maybe his the Arte is also - I didn't look.

Phone