THE COMPLETE ANGLER & THE LIVES OF DONNE, WOTTON, HOOKER, HERBERT & SANDERSON

First Issue of the first Macmillan Edition, the Library of English Classics edition. Title and half-title printed in red and black. Thick Royal 8vo, handsomely bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe in full smooth green calf, the boards with a triple-ruled boarder with floral corner pieces, the spine with ornately gilt-tooled raised bands creating compartments with central gilt tools of fish and fishing gear with morning-glory corners, two compartment with brown morocco labels gilt lettered and tooled, wide gilt-tooled turn-ins over finely marbled endpapers, t.e.g. xi, [1], 497 pp. A fine copy internally, in a good and still-handsome binding with some wear to the leather at the outside hinges, the inner hinges still remain strong and the boards firmly attached. The green calf now mellowed, some spotting and light wear.

Edizione: first printing of this edition of walton's most famous writings and an iconic work in english literature. in spite of some age and wear the binding still exhibits a kind of regality coming from the premier london book-binding firm of the period.<br> walton's angler has been described as "full of wisdom, kindly humour, and charity; it is one of the most delightful and care-dispelling books in the language." "more than most authors he lives in his writings, which are the pure expression of a kind, humorous and pious soul in love with nature, while the expression itself is unique for apparent simplicity which is really elaborately studied art" (dnb). not only is the complete angler a great sporting book, but as well, one of the most treasured works in the english language. <br> this copy also includes walton’s last published major work and the last of his series of “lives” which along with sanderson included dunne, hooker, herbert and wotton. walton’s notoriety as author of the compleat angler, (one the most famous books in the language and one of the best sporting and best “how to” books of all time) often overshadows the memory of these biographies, the last three of which were written when walton was quite elderly. in these works walton expresses a unique view of time as a perceptual framework and a transient state of normal life. he stresses that these important figures must be viewed within their own and personal relationship to time, and to the times in which they lived. in doing so he evolved the art of writing “lives” to something more closely relative to modern biographical scholarship then can be seen in the writings of his contemporaries.