DER IN DER EDLEN FISCHEREY WOHL-UNTERRICHTENDE UND ERFAHRNE FISCHER,...

(1729) ND [1998] new edition. Small 8vo (99 x 171mm). Ppiv,261,viii. B/w frontispiece engraving, title-page printed in red and black. Green cloth, spine titled in gilt. Not illustrated.

" ...welcher lehret, wie man soll die Teiche anlegen, bauen, warten, verbessern, in solchen die Fische einsetzen, und auch endlichen fischen. Ingleichen was sowohl bey denen Fischen, als derselben Fang, mit Hamen, Reusen, und Anglen, ins besondere in Obacht zu nehmen ist. Mit angehaengter Beschreibung allerhand Einheimisch - und Auslaendischer Fische und Krebse, ans Liecht gegeben, von Gottfried Jacob Wagner. Nuernberg, Verlegts Johann Albrecht, 1729". "The Fisherman, learned and experienced in the noble fishery, which teaches construction, keeping and improvement of fish ponds, and ultimately fishing them. In the same manner, how to fish them (the fish ponds) with bag nets, stake nets, and angling, is brought especially within the reader's notice. With an appendix describing all manner of fish from home and abroad, and crustaceans, brought into being by Gottfried Jacob Wagner. The first German book on fishing as a sport was that written by John Horrocks, published in 1874. Before this date, German books on fishing presented fishing only as a means of making a living. Although this book does contain a chapter on angling, it is clearly not viewed as a sport; "angling is work for such people as do not earn very much at all in this world, or who do not want to". Float fishing and baits are discussed, and pike are to be fished for with a brass spinner the length of a shoe, the line being tied to a tree to stop the pike from carrying it away. The text repeatedly mentions feathers, but a quill float is meant". Noble Fishery" in the title is odd, since all species of fish are discussed and no real distinction is drawn between the various sorts of fishing which are in any case presented as a job of work. In German sporting parlance, "edel" refers to deer, salmon and so forth (Edelwild, "noble game") as opposed to rabbits, hares and the like which are Niederwild ("lower game", really "ground game", not necessarily "lesser game"). Since this book has no sporting content and deals at length with the construction and management of what are actually fish farms, by a Fischmeister, "noble" probably means "professional", and we actually have the "Professional Handbook for the Well-Educated Fishery Manager". This was the standard work on the subject for many years. This very handsome facsimile edition was privately issued in 1998 in a limited edition of 45 numbered copies, nos. 1-15 bound in leather, nos. 16-30 bound in green cloth, and nos. 31-45 bound in black cloth. This copy is no. 21/45, bound in green cloth.