THE COMPLETE ANGLER OR THE CONTEMPLATIVE MAN'S RECREATION. Being a discourse of rivers, fish-ponds, fish and fishing. To which is added the laws of angling: with a new table of the particulars in this book. ( COMPLEAT ) de WALTON, Izaak. (1593-1683).: - 1668

London, Printed for R. Marriot and are to be sold by Charles Harper at his shop, 1668.. FOURTH EDITION 1668, much corrected and enlarged, published in Izaak Waltons life time. Small 8vo, approximately 150 x 90 mm, 5¾ x 3½ inches, FACSIMILE TITLE PAGE, 10 small copperplate engravings of fish in the text, attributed to Pierre Lombart, Dedication to "JOHN OFFLEY", 2 pages of the words and music to "The Anglers Song" set by Henry Lawes, the second page printed upside down as required, pages: [16], 255, [17]-A short discourse by way of post-script, touching the lavves of angling, printed in black letter, Contents and Table, collation A-S8, signature E3 is signed B3, Chapter XVII is still numbered XVI, rebound in full brown morocco, extra gilt spine, gilt lettered crimson label, blind decoration to covers, new endpapers. Small hole repaired on first page (A2), following 2 pages have small chip to outer margins, 1 page has a closed tear that runs into the text, neatly repaired, all text legible, pale age-browning and the occasional pale brown mark, a few margins dusty, otherwise a good copy. The final early edition was the 5th 1676, then a jump to the first Moses edition dated 1750. "Charles Lamb, in his letter to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, recommends the Compleat Angler: "It breathes the very spirit of innocence, purity, and simplicity of the heart. There are many choice old verses interspersed in it; it would sweeten a man's temper at any time to read it; it would Christianise every discordant angry passion; pray make yourself acquainted with it". See: A New Chronicle of the Compleat Angler by Peter Oliver, page 12-14; English Literature 1475-1700 by Carl H. Pforzheimer, Volume III, No. 1051; The Compleat Angler 1653-1967 by Bernard S. Horne, page 13 -15, No.5. This copy follows all the points he lists on page 13 & 15; The Library of the Late John Gerard Heckscher of New York City, 2013 & 2014; Rodolphe L. Coigney, page 8. Pages 70 & 79 are correct, all the other printing errors are the same as listed in Goigney; John Evelyn had a copy of this edition in his library. See Geoffrey Keynes, A Study in Bibliophily, page 298, No 36. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.