viii PREFACE. 



Thus the greatest number of angling books chronicled, so 

 far, was three hundred, whereas " The New Bibliotheca Pisca- 

 toria " included six hundred and fifty distinct works on the 

 sport. 



The present edition has made a great stride onwards in bulk, 

 though the numerical increase, in the works registered, falls far 

 short of the same ratio. It contains nearly six times the mat- 

 ter of its predecessor. But it is in method not in bulk that 

 we claim to have chiefly advanced. Knowing that the value of 

 a bibliography depends, solely, on its precision and accuracy, we 

 have endeavoured to set forth the title of every book registered in 

 its literal form, and to furnish those minute particulars, touching 

 printers, publishers, pagination, illustrations, &c., which serve to 

 shew the successive changes through which the most popular 

 angling books have passed, and enable the collector to prove the 

 completeness of the works in his possession. 



The efforts made in this direction, have fortunately received 

 invaluable help from Mr. Alfred Denison, who placed his unique 

 angling library at our disposal, and during the many weeks, 

 devoted to the examination of his three thousand volumes was 

 ever ready to assist with the knowledge acquired during an 

 enthusiastic devotion of many years to his favourite subject. Such 

 assistance requires our largest and most cordial recognition. 



Ample, however, as is the Denison collection, it does not 

 contain two thirds of the works (that is to say editions) included 

 in our list, and our labour has been principally spent in searching 

 for other books, the existence of which was all but certain, 

 though we hesitated to insert them until copies had been 

 examined and their titles and other necessary particulars obtained 

 from actual inspection. 



This latter principle has governed us throughout, but we have 

 occasionally had to deviate from it and to admit works ( the 

 existence of which appeared well substantiated ) on the mere 

 authority of our forerunners. Pickering, Russell Smith, Kreysig, 

 Engelmann, Bosgoed and Kayser have been followed when the 

 books described could not be procured. On the other hand, a 

 certain number (included previously on insufficient grounds) 

 have now been suppressed ; a course of severity, that our readers 

 will perhaps consider might have been pushed further with 

 advantage. 



The earlier pages of our list had already passed through the 

 press before the Denison and another large collection had been 

 thrown open to us. For that portion of our work, therefore, our 

 apologies are more especially needed. It is neither so ample in 

 detail, nor so precise in verification as what follows. 



