Although it is not the oldest work on fishing in the English language, Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler is undoubtedly the most prominent. From both a literary and cultural perspective it is well known and widely celebrated.

For these merits and those intrinsic to the nearly 400 year-old book, you should read a passage or two. And it just so happens that there are a handful of ways to do so online.

Scans and transcripts of the multiple editions are available  through various websites. You’d do well to peruse the archaic but intelligible first edition from 1653. If you’re a fly fisher, you’ll want to check out the 1676 reprint. This final update includes Charles Cotton’s additions, which include a focus on flies.

Watch what else I have to say about the book, and find out where you can find it online, below:

The 1653 edition from the video can be found here. And here is the 1676. But there are plenty more out there!

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Want even  more book reviews? Head to the   Casting Across Fly Fishing Library.