A Concise Treatise on the Art of Angling

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A Concise Treatise on the Art of Angling
TitlePageAConciseTreatise.JPG
Title Page - 7th Edition 1807
AuthorThomas Best
LanguageEnglish
SubjectFly fishing
PublisherB. Crosby and Co., London
Publication date
1787
Publication placeEngland
Pages186

A Concise Treatise on the Art of Angling- Confirmed by Actual Experiences and Minute Observations to Which is Added the Compleat Fly-Fisher is a fly fishing book written by Thomas Best, first published in London in 1787.

Contents

Synopsis

Frontispiece (7th Edition) showing very early renditions of artificial flies Best-Frontpiece.JPG
Frontispiece (7th Edition) showing very early renditions of artificial flies
Frontispiece (9th Edition) Best-Frontpiece1810.JPG
Frontispiece (9th Edition)

Although the first part of A Concise Treatise is a general angling work that provided little new information when it was published, the second part of the book--The Complete Fly-Fisher was one of the earliest how-to books on the subject of fly fishing and artificial fly making. The book proved to be extremely popular and useful, being issued in thirteen editions from 1787 to 1846.

Reviews

A Concise Treatise on the Art of Angling. . . . By Thomas Best, Gent. Late of his Majesty's Drawing Room in the Tower, London, appeared in 1787. Thirteen editions of this work were published;, to the tenth and eleventh editions the greater part of Nobbes' Compleat Troller was added. This book, though it contains nothing strikingly original, is a thoroughly practical treatise on the art of angling... [1]

He makes mention of the multiplying reel, the first time we hear of it, but evidently not unknown before his day. In the second part of the book, which has the special title The Complete Fly-fisher, he describes the dressing of many flies and their killing powers. Upon the whole, it is a practical and sensible work. [2]

Contents

(From the 9th Edition)

Other editions

From Bibliotheca Piscatoria, T. Westwood & T. Satchell (1883) [3]

From Antiquarian Booksellers Online

Further reading

See also

Notes

  1. Turrell, W. J. (1910). Ancient Angling Authors. London: Gurney and Jackson. pp.  222–223.
  2. Robb, James (1945). Notable Angling Literature. London: Herbert Jenkins Limited. p. 94.
  3. Westwood, T.; Satchell, T. (1883). Bibliotheca Piscatoria-A Catalogue Of Books On Angling, The Fisheries and Fish-Culture, With Bibliographical Notes and an Appendix Of Citations Touching On Angling and fishing from Old English authors. London: W. Satchell. pp.  31.

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