THE FLY-FISHER'S CRAFT: THE ART AND HISTORY. By Darrel Martin.

2006 1st edition. 4to (222 x 285mm). Ppxvi,280. Colour and b/w photographs, illustrations, bibliography. Brown boards, spine titled in gilt.

"Noted angling author Darrel Martin brinds his decades of research, hundreds of colour photographs, and years of experimentation to bear on the fascinating evolution of fly fishing contrivances, from the practical to the fanciful, from the dawn of written history until today. Martin shows where these technologies were first documented, why they came to be, and details how even today we can burnish our own handmade hooks, furl a horsehair leader, and fashion a functioning rod from readily available wood. He also documents the intriguing art and evolution of fly tying in particular detail, from the earliest documented methods and materials to some of today's most modern patterns, which still inevitably draw on the pedigree off their ancient forebears. What's more, all of these natural marvels still work today". One chapter presents some of the suthor's own patterns which include historical elements, showing the reasons for them, or showing how they can be used to address modern questions. Chapters include: An antique disposition; Antique tying; Fly design; Personal patterns; The hook; The line; The loop-rod.