THE LONDON ANGLER'S BOOK, OR WALTONIAN CHRONICLE... By John Baddeley.

1834 1st edition. Small 8vo (114 x 187mm). Pp[ii],vi,185,xi. Engraved frontispiece, two engraved plates of tackle, one text engraving. Contemporary grey-brown cloth, spine titled in gilt.

A scarce guide to fishing the rivers and streams of London and the surrounding area. Full title:- "The London Angler's Book, or Waltonian Chronicle, containing much original information to anglers generally combined with numerous amusing songs and anecdotes of fish and fishing, never before published. Together with an entirely new description of the Thames, from London Bridge to Staines, the Lea from the Thames to Hertford, the Wandle, the Mole, the Wey, the Colne, the Brent, the Roding; and every river and stream within 20 miles of London, worth fishing in." John Rock Baddeley, born in Staffordshire in 1797, made his fortune after setting up in London as a die-sinker and engraver. As a keen angler he spent his spare time exploring the rivers and streams of the area and was the founder of the True Waltonian Society. The author describes the fish (together with a song about each species) and the fisheries of the region, mostly coarse fishing but with many good mentions of Thames trouting. A short section of the book is devoted to flies and flyfishing which the author describes as "...the best part of the sport..." He places emphasis on the simplicity of flyfishing, rubbishing the complicated advice on fly choice given by other anglers and authors and stating it to be "...all quackery and nonsense. Throw a light line, keep out of sight as much as possible, and in any stream in England, at some part of the day, if the fish are inclined to rise at all, you may kill Dace, Chub, and Trout, as well as though you had all the tackle that was made to choose from."