INTR OD UCriON 



NGLING has become a force in literature 

 beyond that of all other outdoor 



* -M recreations. About thirty-five hun- 

 -^ dred editions, and- reprints of nearly 



twenty-five hundred distinct works on the " art 

 recreative," have been issued, and the bibliophile 

 of this class of literature may be said to riot in 

 the literary wealth at his command. We cannot 

 wonder at his enthusiasm and prodigality of ex- 

 penditure in gathering the book lore of the art 

 he loves so well. It not only bears the mark of 

 great antiquity, but, with the great advance in 

 typography during the last century, the volumes 

 on this subject are marvels of beauty in mechan- 

 ical execution, and rich in practical value and in- 

 terest, for the scientific demands for artistic skill 

 in luring keep pace with the growing scarcity of 

 game fish near the centres of civilization. 



Anglers, particularly those who delight in the 

 higher branches of the art, seek for books on their 

 favorite sport with an eagerness surpassing that 

 of an ordinary collector of general literature. A 



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