THE ANGLERS' ENCYCLOPAEDIA.

London: Hamlyn. Very Good/Poor. 1970. Reprint. Hard Cover. 8vo Jacket worn at extremities with a number closed tears and nicks. 1.5" by 1" piece missing from front. Some repairs to dj with clear tape. Original green cloth with silver titles. 8 Pages of Photographs / 140 Line Drawings. 240pp. 9" X 6". SINCE no man is born an angler, as Izaak Walton said, anglers have been writing instructive treatises for one another from the fifteenth century onward. In later days, catching fish for fun has become a very serious business indeed, increasingly specialized and complicated, with a huge body of literature on its various aspects. What has been lacking, however, throughout angling history, is a complete yet concise assembly of information about all branches of the sport-coarse, sea, game and big-game fishing. With The Anglers' Encyclopaedia, this thorough coverage is provided for the first time, in one alphabetically arranged, up-to-date, illustrated reference book. Colin Willock, well known for previous works on fishing, writes in his introduction: "In compiling this encyclopaedia, I have had two thoughts uppermost. (1) To keep it simple. (2) To remember that anglers do not want merely to know about fish; they want to know how to catch them." With the first point in mind, Mr. Willock has kept the number of entries down to fewer than 700, under comprehensive headings where necessary, to avoid complicated cross-references. As for his second point, wherever a species demands a special angling technique he gives it double treatment. Under Bass, for example, he deals fully with natural history and surroundings, following it with Bass-Fishing, which goes into details of methods and equipment. Anglers are inveterate arguers. Here, at last, enclosed within two covers, is the means whereby they may settle any piscatorial question lying between Alevin (the young of salmon and trout) and Zander (Lucioperca lucioperca, usually called pike-perch). On both theory and practice of fishing, in fact, Mr. Willock provides a much-needed, comprehensive and convenient source of reference that even the most "compleat angler" will find a valuable companion. .