FISHING FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES. By William Radcliffe.

1921 1st edition. 8vo (158 x 234mm). Ppxvii,478. With 56 illustrations in text and 12 b/w plates. Light tan cloth-backed blue-green paper-covered boards, paper spine label.

This book "is, as far as I can discover, the first attempt to examine classical and other ancient writers on Fishing from the standpoint of one who has not only been a practical Pisciculturist for many years and an Angler all his life, but has also been taught (though somewhat forgotten) his Greek and Latin." The chapters are divided into the following sections: Greek and Roman fishing, including - Homer, contest between Homer and Hesiod, the dolphin, the tunny, Plato, the two Plinys, Martial, was the rod jointed?, Plutarch, Cleopatra's fishing, Aelian, Ausonias, Salar and Fario, first mention of the pike, infatuation for fish; Egyptian fishing, including - The Nile is Egypt, tackle, sacred fish, fisheries, attempted correlation of the price of fish then and now, fishing with the hair of the dead; Assyrian fishing, including - no rod, fishing methods, earliest recorded contract of fishing, fish-gods, first instance of poaching, magic auguries; Jewish fishing, including - rod not employed, fish with and without scales, methods of fishing, vivaria, the fish of Tobias, demonic possession, fish of Moses, Solomon's ring; Chinese fishing.