70 American Fisheries Society 



"Windsor Forest," a poem by Alexander Pope, first 

 published in 1713, contains the well-known lines begin- 

 ning "In genial spring * * *. The patient fisher 

 takes his silent stand." James Thomson in his "The 

 Seasons" has a passage of nearly fifty lines which shows 

 the skill of the angler equally with that of the poet. 

 Many were the lesser lights who burst forth into poetry 

 in praise of angling, and there are also many Italian, 

 a few French, a very few German, many Latin and a 

 few Greek poems that bear directly on our subject. 



The later and more modern classical authors have, 

 many of them, been admirers of the art of angling and 

 many also anglers themselves. The seventh part of 

 Washington Irving's "Sketch Book" contains his delight- 

 ful appreciation of the art, called "The Angler." The 

 library possesses a copy of the first edition in the 

 original seven parts with the original paper covers 

 bound in and an autograph letter of Irving inserted. 



Sir Walter Scott in 1821 wrote a preface and notes 

 for a new edition of Richard Franck's "Northern 

 Memoirs," which first appeared in 1694. In the library, 

 by the side of this edition, rests Scott's original manu- 

 script. 



Another interesting manuscript, is one of thirty-nine 

 pages, entitled "My First Trout," written by Charles 

 Dudley Warner and dated May 6, 1897. 



George Washington, himself, was a keen angler, and 

 a little pamphlet by Dr. George H. Moore, entitled 

 "Washington as an Angler," has been extra-illustrated 

 for the library by the insertion of a manuscript inscrip- 

 tion of presentation from the author, many portraits of 

 Washington, and a fine autograph letter signed by 

 George Washington. Our good President Grover Cleve- 

 land was a keen angler and fisherman. He wrote a very 

 clever little brochure entitled, "A Defense of Fisher- 

 men." A very few copies of this were privately printed 

 for distribution among the author's friends (not over 

 twenty at most were issued). The library has a copy, 

 presented by the author, with a charming autograph 



