This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/20/2022
[ANGLING]. SMITH, George, attributed to?. The Gentleman Angler. Containing short, plain and early instructions, whereby the most ignorant beginner may, in a little time, become a perfect artist in angling… To which is added, The Angler’s New Song: The Laws of Angling, and the Form of a License. London: for A. Bettesworth, 1726. 12mo (159 x 95 mm). (Lacking front blank, some marginal browning to half–title and title–page, few leaves dampstained). Half–title, wood engraved head–pieces and initials; 4pp. publisher’s ads at end. Full contemporary sheep (chipped at extreme ends with losses, some splitting along joints). FIRST EDITION of one of the earliest angling manuals that quickly became a standard handbook of the eighteenth century. The book not only supplied directions for flytying, descriptions of angling techniques for different fish, and a glossary (with some very curious entries) but contained a recipe section for cooking fish in the “best and most fashionable manner” and the first appearance of the “Angler’s Song”. Westwood & Satchell, pp. 104–105.