Most influential book since...

[Peter Waller]

Pangolin:

My favourite book, from my teenage years, was 'On the Line' by John Mitchell. I have it with me now. It's a series of strip cartoons, probably originally published in a newspaper, just as Mr Crabtree was. The price is still marked on the cover, as 7/6! I have a much older book, called 'Coarse Fishing' by H.T. Sheringham, which I picked up from a secondhand book shop. It is a collection of advice and anecdotal stories, from a man who obviously loved his fishing. Have you ever heard of either of these books, Steve?

On The Line is, I think, better illustrated than Crabtree! Hiss, boooooooo, no its not!! But I think it is!! Mind you they are line drawings from photographs so perhaps they lack that something that Venables could impart.

 

Sheringham's book is a well known 'collectors' book, well worth reading. Got some good stuff in it too.

[Dick Dastardly]

I have never read "Stillwater Angling!

 

God knows why! Ive read most of the classic books.Must remedy this.However due to this I will have to say that the following were most influencial to me-Mr Crabtree of course and Peter Stones "Gravel Pit Angling"

 

Another book that inspired me despite being quite outdated even then was "The Modern Sea Angler" by Hugh Stoker.

 

Not really got a favourite Pike book.Probabley the No1 carp book for me would be "Carp and the Carp Angler" by George Sharman

[Pangolin]

I have 'Pike', by Fred Buller, which I rate as probably the best single-species fish book. Not easy reading, mind you, but some very memorable stuff, such as 'the rat plug'!

[Steve Burke]

Pangolin:

My favourite book, from my teenage years, was 'On the Line' by John Mitchell. I have it with me now. It's a series of strip cartoons, probably originally published in a newspaper, just as Mr Crabtree was. The price is still marked on the cover, as 7/6! I have a much older book, called 'Coarse Fishing' by H.T. Sheringham, which I picked up from a secondhand book shop. It is a collection of advice and anecdotal stories, from a man who obviously loved his fishing. Have you ever heard of either of these books, Steve?

As Peter says, Sheringham's books are considered real classics! Many love his style and his books are very much sought after. Fine condition copies are priced accordingly!

 

"On the Line" isn't so popular, perhaps because it was too similar to the highly regarded Mr. Crabtree series.

 

P.S. A more up to date book of this type which is both inexpensive and contains good advice is Angler's Mail Coarse Fishing Year. It derived from Dave Coster's weekly column in Angler's Mail.

 

[ 20. February 2004, 11:48 AM: Message edited by: Steve Burke ]

[Steve Burke]

bubbles:

well im not sure if this counts..but i have a whole collection of magazines from the early 60's called "creel" make bloody good reading..... nice to see how it was done in days gone by... bernard venables being in the first issue..plus a nice painting of a carp he did inside the first cover.......

Fishing magazines don't normally fetch much more than a few pence, unless they're the often hard to find first issue of successful mags like "Improve Your Coarse Fishing" and "Waterlog".

 

The big exception is Creel, especially the early issues when Bernard Venables was the editor. A bound volume 1 is likely to be priced at £250 to £300 by many dealers, with issue one alone having a price tag of around £100. I gave mine away to a friend!

 

If anyone is interested in Creel I've a bound volume 1 up for offer on my website (link below).

[Pangolin]

This is getting a bit like Antiques Roadshow! I'm curious about how much my H.T.Sheringham book might be worth... The cover is dark, and the pages are cream-coloured, but there are no tears or other damage.

[Steve Burke]

Pangolin:

This is getting a bit like Antiques Roadshow! I'm curious about how much my H.T.Sheringham book might be worth... The cover is dark, and the pages are cream-coloured, but there are no tears or other damage.

Is it an ex-library book as this will reduce the price? The copy I have for sale is ex-library and not in such good condition and so is only £27.

 

If it's not ex-library I'd sell one like yours for around twice this figure. Most book shops would charge more than this, so a replacement would cost you around £60 to £70 according to the exact condition.

[mark barrett]

dont know about influential on a national scale but from a personal viewpoint mine were "gravel pit angling" by peter stone and "the way i fish and pike angling" by dennis pye and neville fickling. gravel pit angling used to get me in no end of trouble because whenever we had a lesson in the schol library i used to surreptisiously hide it behind my school book, although frequently, not well enough!!!!

[peter mccue]

Along with numerous other posters, I have to say 'fishing with Mr Crabtree' was the book that caught my imagination. A present bought for me in the early sixties how could a ten year old resist those evocative cartoons and magical colour plates.

 

I still read it now!!

[bubbles]

steve.... thats exactly what i have .... a bound volume one....+ a whole host of other old fishing books..... would you mind me doing you a list and passing over to you..just to see what you think ??