Angling Books, Old and New 



farther back than that, for once in a 

 while he feels like reading from a rare 

 old volume published in 1633 a few 

 verses of the "Piscatorie Eclogs" by 

 Phineas Fletcher, or from the Eng- 

 lish translation made in 1722 of "Op- 

 pian's Halieutics." Of English works 

 on the dry-fly he has endeavored to 

 make a complete collection, and, unlike 

 books in many libraries, these do not 

 exist merely for ornament. They have 

 been studied and their contents often 

 discussed with angling friends. After 

 having read many of the works of both 

 old and modern angling writers one is 

 forced to come to the conclusion that 

 angling literature since the days of 

 Walton has been one long series of 

 repetitions. Here and there a book 

 shines out conspicuous for the original- 

 ity of its ideas. Were this the proper 

 place for such a discussion it would be 



[9] 



