A History of Fly Fishing for Trout by John Waller Hills

1973 2nd edition. B/w plates after old illustrations, bibliography. Brown cloth, spine titled in gilt.

A good guide the early angling literature of Britain and of France, with a useful bibliography of English and French angling books. "This excellent book (which has become a fishing classic) traces the art of fly fishing from its beginnings in the fifteenth century. Major Hills has succeeded in identifying almost all the artificial flies mentioned by the early writers (including The Boke Of St. Albans), and his account of the evolution of rods, lines, reels and tackle is very complete. The advent of up-stream fishing and the dry fly are also dealt with at length." (Contemporary advertisement). "It covers the period from the close of the fifteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth, from the Treatyse to Andrew Lang. The story is very well told and must have involved considerable research. Generous in his appreciations, he can always be relied upon to give an unbiased judgement. The book sets a high standard and one can refer to him with confidence on moot points in angling literature on trout fishing." (Robb. Notable Angling Literature).