The Complete Angler, or the Contemplative Man's Recreation: Being a Discourse of Rivers and Fish-Ponds, Fish and Fishing Written by Izaak Walton, and Instructions How to Angle for a Trout or Grayling in a Clear Stream by Charles Cotton

London: William Pickering, 1836. First Nicolas edition. 3/4 leather and marbled boards. Quartos. ccxii, 129 and [130]-436, [32] pages. Dark green leather spines and fore corners with marbled paper sides, gilt ruled boards, marbled endpapers, and all edges of textblocks gilt. Spines are titled and ornamented in gilt with five raised bands. Mild rubs to leather along joints, some light rubs to board edges, and some faint scattered foxing inside. Front endpaper of volume I has separation along hinge but still sound. Very good overall.. Black and white engravings throughout. A handsome set of the large paper first Nicolas edition of Walton, acclaimed as the finest "Angler" ever published. Sir Harris Nicolas not only secured excellent illustrators and an outstanding publisher for his edition, he also brilliantly edited and annotated the text, which is that of the 1676 fifth edition. The fifth edition was the first edition of Cotton, the first issue combining Walton and Cotton, and the last edition of "Angler" to be revised by Walton himself. Sir Nicolas was the first to divide the text into the natural days of the narrative, and he also provides many useful notes and comments, along with new material on Walton and Cotton. <br /> <br /> The illustrations are from original drawings and paintings by Thomas Stothard (scenes) and James Inskipp (fishes and portraits). The frontispiece portrait of Walton is engraved from the original painting by Jacob Huysmans. <br /> <br /> A desirable edition of this classic, and an impressive addition to the angler's library.<br /> <br /> Ref. HORNE 43; HAND W102.