PREFACE.

THE first edition of this list appeared in 1861, under the auspices of the Field newspaper. A supplement was added in 1869 from the same source. Since the latter date, the work has remained in abeyance, the edition having been exhausted.

Though chargeable with many shortcomings the "New Bibliotheca Piscatoria" was, numerically, at least, an important advance on its predecessors. For bibliographical uses it may be well to recapitulate here who were those predecessors and what their value and importance.

The earliest printed list of angling books was compiled by Mr., afterwards Sir Henry Ellis. It appeared in 1811, as a contribution to Sir Egerton Brydges' "Bibliographer," and a few copies were afterwards issued in a separate form. It consisted of eighty works, and furnished some scanty biographical notices of their authors. This list was afterwards extended to one hundred and eighty entries, in a revised issue, appended by Mr. Wm. Pickering, to Boosey's "Piscatorial Reminiscences," in 1836. Four years later, Mr. James Wilson appended "An abbreviated list of one hundred works on Halieuticks" to his sporting treatise, "The rod and the gun," which treatise, as well as the list in an abbreviated form, had been originally printed in the 7th edition of the "Encyclopædia Britannica," and, in an enlarged form, in the 8th edition of that work. This was followed, in 1847, by the "Waltonian Library" of Dr. Bethune, the able, erudite and sympathetic editor of the American edition of "The Complete Angler," in which publication it figured as an appendix. It contained about three hundred entries. Finally, in 1856, appeared the "Bibliographical Catalogue" of Mr. J. Russell Smith, given as a sequel to Mr. Robert Blakey's "Angling literature of all nations," and of which, as we have elsewhere stated, it may be said to have formed the most valuable feature. This contains two hundred and sixty-four works on angling.

Thus the greatest number of angling books chronicled, so far, was three hundred, whereas "The New Bibliotheca Piscatoria" included six hundred and fifty distinct works on the sport.

The present edition has made a great stride onwards in bulk, though the numerical increase, in the works registered, falls far short of the same ratio. It contains nearly six times the matter of its predecessor. But it is in method not in bulk that we claim to have chiefly advanced. Knowing that the value of a bibliography depends, solely, on its precision and accuracy, we have endeavoured to set forth the title of every book registered in its literal form, and to furnish those minute particulars, touching printers, publishers, pagination, illustrations, &c., which serve to shew the successive changes through which the most popular angling books have passed, and enable the collector to prove the completeness of the works in his possession.

The efforts made in this direction, have fortunately received invaluable help from Mr. Alfred Denison, who placed his unique angling library at our disposal, and during the many weeks, devoted to the examination of his three thousand volumes was ever ready to assist with the knowledge acquired during an enthusiastic devotion of many years to his favourite subject. Such assistance requires our largest and most cordial recognition.

Ample, however, as is the Denison collection, it does not contain two thirds of the works (that is to say editions) included in our list, and our labour has been principally spent in searching for other books, the existence of which was all but certain, though we hesitated to insert them until copies had been examined and their titles and other necessary particulars obtained from actual inspection.

This latter principle has governed us throughout, but we have occasionally had to deviate from it and to admit works (the existence of which appeared well substantiated) on the mere authority of our forerunners. Pickering, Russell Smith, Kreysig, Engelmann, Bosgoed and Kayser have been followed when the books described could not be procured. On the other hand, a certain number (included previously on insufficient grounds) have now been suppressed; a course of severity, that our readers will perhaps consider might have been pushed further with advantage.

The earlier pages of our list had already passed through the press before the Denison and another large collection had been thrown open to us. For that portion of our work, therefore, our apologies are more especially needed. It is neither so ample in detail, nor so precise in verification as what follows.

It will be seen that several works of marked interest and importance are now registered for the first time-the rare Flemish Tract, for instance, on Fowling and Fishing, (in the Denison collection) which is a competitor, for priority, with our own "Treatyse of Fysshynge; " the poem of Richard de Fournival ("La vieille, ou les derniers amours d'Ovide") belonging, probably, to a yet earlier epoch-the Ode of Mr. Thomas Herrick, author of "Miscellany Poems "-and others. Amongst the novel features of our list we have also to call attention to the very many early German works now registered for the first time. We have been able to include, among angling writers, William Browne, of "Britannia's Pastorals," Jacob Cats, Michael Drayton, the unknown author of the "Dialogues of Creatures moralized," Erasmus, Isachius and Sir Philip Sidney -and among the moderns, Walter Savage Landor. Thus we have cast our net with a wider sweep than heretofore-may our readers be satisfied with the draught we have brought to shore !

The editions of Walton and Cotton, which in the pages of "The chronicle of the compleat angler," stood at fifty-three, have now reached the imposing total of ninty; twenty-one having been issued since the date (1864) of that work, and sixteen having escaped notice on that occasion. If the venerable shade of the Father of anglers could be conjured up from his Elysium (fishy be the streams there and the wind due South for ever!) and revisit the light of day, how amazed would he be (simple soul!) at the perpetuation and extension of his fame and at the goodly bulk of our 'Bibliotheca '-he that counted fishing books by twos and threes! One thing is forced upon our conviction in this matter-that angling has become a force in literature, greater far than that of its kindred sports. In a battle of books Auceps and Venator would have to retire, worsted in the contest, leaving Piscator dominant. To him who doubts this we say--cross our threshold and...' circumspice.'

The Fisheries and Pisciculture having become important and special departments, we have judged it expedient to class them apart. In our register of Fishery pamphlets we have restricted ourselves to English and Colonial publications, and we have included with these an extensive list of Papers presented to both Houses of Parliament, which contain much important matter respecting the condition of the fisheries in past times, and the efforts made for their encouragement and for the amelioration of the condition of those engaged in them. These papers consist of Petitions, Statistical returns, Reports of Cominittees and Bills. The last in many, or most instances, became Acts of Parliament, after alterations which it is sometimes of special interest to note; but some never passed beyond the embryonic stage. These need not therefore be neglected by the historian, as they, equally with the others, indicate wants and suggest remedies which may have failed to find acceptance from our legislators from other causes than lack of merit.

The list of Statutes repealed, spent, or in force, concerning the fisheries, the preservation of fish, &c., is a nearly complete conspectus of our legislation on these subjects. They show the early appreciation of the importance of this source of national wealth. The endeavours to encourage the fisheries in Ireland are clearly indicated in a long list of statutory enactments, some of which appear to have been so liberal in their character, that they drew forth remonstrances from the Scotch and English fishermen, whose trade suffered severely in consequence of the inordinate bounties given to their Irish competitors. Notwithstanding such encouragement and the possession of waters abounding in fish, the pursuit never seems to have taken much root in Ireland.

We have added, as an appendix, a collection of citations from the elder Poets, Dramatists, &c., in which the sport is dealt with. To Sir Harris Nicolas is due the honour of this initiative, though only in a very limited degree. Thus his quotations from Shakespeare, were but four in number. We have extended them to twenty-nine. For two or three of these we are indebted to the Rev. H. N. Ellacombe's interesting article, "Shakespeare as an Angler," published in the "Antiquary." It must, however, be distinctly understood that this collection is not offered as exhaustive, and we trust to the kindness of such of our readers as the subject may interest, to continue the search in the wide field still unexplored, and to communicate the result of their gleanings.

We have endeavoured to arrange our entries in the simplest manner. Books are inscribed under the names of their respective writers, real or fictitious, if these are found in title or preface. Anonymous books are entered under the first proper name in the title, or failing a proper name, under the first substantive. In the case of books published under the initials of their writers, cross references are generally inserted from and to the title, which is treated as if the work were anonymous. All words not enclosed in square brackets will be found on the titlepages of the books recorded, and where words are omitted, the fact is shown. The spelling and punctuation are in all cases carefully preserved. When the reader finds "varity" for "variety," filies" for "flies," " pubilshed" for "published," etc, he must understand that the vagary is due to the author or his printer. The customary sic is never used in such cases.