The Compleat Angler; Or, the Contemplative Man's Recreation

First published in 1653, Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler celebrates the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse. Walton infused his work with anecdotes and commentaries on catching and preparing everything from carp to trout, chub to pike. The Compleat Angler is as fresh and relevant today as it was two and a half centuries ago. The Compleat Angler continues to be "must" reading for every new generation of fishermen (and fisher women!) who have ever picked up a pole, line and lure to set forth on one of human kind's oldest pastimes -- fishing.
Undoubtedly, its most enduring distinction--what's raised an essential sporting how-to to the level of literary classic--is the one cast off by its subtitle The Contemplative Man's Recreation with its graceful evocations of a life free from hurly-burly in the company of friends intent on physical and moral sustenance.