vi PREFACE. 



of the experiences of others. Much has been written about 

 the art of angling, but generally that which has been of high 

 value has also been high priced. The Editor hopes that 

 this book, though low priced, will not be made of less value 

 by the insertion of the angling directions. Angling is now 

 one of the fine arts (it is a very fine art indeed), and in 

 every new fishing book the Editor has read he finds some 

 new idea or valuable wrinkle. As long as this is the case, 

 there cannot be too many new angling books written. 



Notes at the foot of the page are a horrible nuisance, 

 distracting the attention of the reader to the greatest degree. 

 It therefore seemed better to lump them together at the end 

 of each chapter in the shape of an appendix, and the reader 

 can please himself whether he refers to them or not. If he 

 only desires to read the prose-poetry of the text, he can skip 

 the chapters in smaller type ; and if he turns to the book for 

 practical directions, he can look at the appendices only. The 

 arrangement, therefore, is this : A chapter of the text, and 

 then an appendix containing, first, "Historical Notes" chiefly 

 from Hawkins, and referred to by the smaller letters in the 

 text ; secondly, " General Notes " by the Editor, referred to 

 by numerals ; and third, a "Practical Essay " by the Editor. 



The majority of the woodcuts are from Major's beautiful 

 edition ; to these are added modern cuts illustrative of fish- 

 ing-tackle, etc. 



With a sense of the honour done to him by the Publishers 

 when they requested him to prepare this edition, and an 

 equal sense of his own deficiencies for the task, the Editor 

 lays down his pen, and, turning round to the fire, sees in the 

 red-hot coals pictures of many a happy fishing day long 

 since past, while outside the autumn winds blow hard, and 



