BIBLIOGRAPHICAL PREFACE. Ixxv 



eulogistic of our favorite author and favorite book. The 

 collection of verses in his praise, given hereafter, will 

 show how much he is appreciated by poets, and the reader 

 cannot be ignorant of- what has been said in prose, from 

 Dr. Johnson (who, notwithstanding his definition of an 

 angle-rod, written under an indigestion, intended to have 

 written Walton's life, and prompted Browne to edit the 

 Angler) to those of our own day, — Scott, Washington 

 Irving, Wilson (Ambrosian Wilson, the best angler north 

 of the Tweed), Bowles (Life of Kerr), and a host of 

 others. Indeed, v*'e may say of Walton's merits, to the 

 readers of his writings, w^hat Silvio Pellico says of honesty 

 and religion: "Chi non trova tai prove nella sua conscienza, 

 non le trovera mai in mio libro." 



A vv'ritcr in the Gentleman's Magazine (April, 1846) 

 says, after relating a conference with a bookseller, that he 

 believes Walton's Angler to be the most popular book in 

 the English language, after Josephus. This is exaggera- 

 tion, for, to say nothing of Shakspeare, Pilgrim's Progress 

 and Robinson Crusoe, on a fair search, would be found to 

 be more generally known and appreciated ; but the 

 number of editions through which the Angler has passed, 

 and is constantly passing, might very well have suggested 

 the mistake. 



Copies of the early editions are rare : a good copy of 

 the first will readily bring twelve guineas or more ; the 

 second, third, fourth, and fifth, a price in close proportion. 

 At the Rev. Mr. Cotton's sale, his collection of the first, 

 second, third (a presentation copy to Mrs. Ann King, with 

 Walton's autograph) and fifth, sold together for £53. A 

 fac-simile of the first edition was published by Bagster in 

 1810. The plates were engraved on silver, and unfortu- 

 nately destroyed by fire. 



No new edition of our work appeared until 1750, when 

 the book having become scarce, Moses Browne published 

 it with preface, notes, and (as he thought) emendations, 



