THE COMPLEAT ANGLER: OR, CONTEMPLATIVE MAN'S RECREATION in Two Parts. Containing I. A Large and Particular Account of Rivers, Fish-ponds, Fish and Fishing: Written by the Ingenious and Celebrated Isaac Walton. II. The Best and Fullest Instructions how to Angle for a Trout and Grayling in a Clear Stream by Charles Cotton, Esq.Comprising All that has been accounted Valuable, Instructive, or Curious.Interspersed with A Variety of Practical Experiments; learned Observations, beautiful Descriptions, philosophical, moral and Religious Reflections.With Exact Representations of all the Fish, and the Addition of Several Copper Plates.Carefully and correctly published form the best Editions, with a Number of occasioned Notes. By Moses Browne, Author

Rare First Moses Browne Edition. Illustrated with six copper-engraved plates by H. Burgh, 15 woodcuts in the text, one page of music and engraved head- and tailpieces. 12mo, very handsomely bound in fine contemporary navy blue straight-grain morocco, the covers emblazoned at the borders with broad elaborately tooled borders within gilt fillet rules, corner pieces tooled in blind and gilt, central roll-tooled panel in blind, the spine with raised bands separating compartments ruled and stopped in gilt, tooled in blind with central ornaments in gilt, two compartments lettered in gilt, all edges gilt, gilt tooled edges and turnovers, fine blue and black marbled end-leaves. [xiv], [2], 312, [viii, Index] pp. A very fine copy, beautifully preserved, clean and crisp throughout, the binding strong and very handsome.

Edizione: first moses browne edition printed in 1750, now rare in commerce. this copy in a fine contemporary binding. a beloved classic of the english language and what many call the finest "how-to" book ever written; walton's angler has been described as "full of wisdom, kindly humour, and charity; it is one of the most delightful and care-dispelling books in the language." "more than most authors he lives in his writings, which are the pure expression of a kind, humorous and pious soul in love with nature, while the expression itself is unique for apparent simplicity which is really elaborately studied art" (dnb). <br> after the 1676 edition of the compleat angler (the last walton published before his death in 1683), no new editions of the compleat angler were published for almost one hundred years. moses browne, editor of the 1750 edition, and john hawkins, editor of the 1760 edition, were likely both influenced to publish new editions of the angler by dr. samuel johnson, the famous literary master. browne produced a second edition of his version in 1759, leading to a dispute with hawkins, whose 1760 version was already being printed at the time. each editor boasted that their version was the only correct one, and browne accused hawkins of copying images and biographical information from his earlier version. despite this controversy, the 18th century editions introduced new context for the work in a new century, as well as contemporary illustrations, indicating the beginning of a revival for the compleat angler. university of pittsburgh