Abstract
TO those readers of NATURE who are not acquainted with Mr. Pennell, the following quotation may serve as an introduction: “Fishing has been in a special sense my mistress—the fairest and most loving wife—in many a wild and lonely spot where, but for her gentle companionship and solace, I should have felt myself in every sense of the word alone;” whilst those of us who have for some time had an acquaintance with his writings, know that in making this confession he is perfectly sincere, and that he is one of the most devoted disciples of Izaak Walton; so that we cannot help wishing he were an “Inspector of Fisheries”(as he describes himself on the title-page), instead of being appointed by the Government to investigate the causes of failure and possibilities of improvement of our oyster fisheries. His book has only a partial resemblance to Walton's “Complete Angler.” Those passages of pleasing simple eloquence, those fine sentiments, those virtuous precepts, in short, all those characteristics which have rendered Walton's book, immortal, must not be looked for in Mr. Pennell's “Modern Angler.” To imitate Walton successfully, would, indeed, require a genius of no common order; and Mr. Pennell his contented himself with giving a mere manual of the piscatorial “art” and “science” (we must not be too severe with enthusiasts about terms); and judging of it as such, we can sincerely say that it is the best and most useful handbook we have yet seen.
The Modern Practical Angler. A complete Guide to Fly-Fishing, Bottom-Fishing, and Trolling.
By H. Cholmondeley-Pennell, Inspector of Fisheries. Illustrated by Fifty Engravings of Fish and Tackle. 16mo, pp. 286. (London: Fred. Warne and Co., 1870)
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GÜNTHER, A. The Modern Practical Angler. A complete Guide to Fly-Fishing, Bottom-Fishing, and Trolling.. Nature 2, 512 (1870). https://doi.org/10.1038/002512a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/002512a0