Christmas books

[Nailbourne]

I've just received two 'me to me' Christmas present books - 'Nymph Fishing in Practice' by Ollie Kite, and 'Successful Angling' by Messrs Walker, Taylor, Buller and Falkus.

Having only scanned both of them, the last chapter in 'Successful Angling' intrigued me! Who would have thought that these 'modern' techniques are merely re-inventions:

Swimfeeder - 1674.
Swingtip - 1805
Early version of 'Betalight' float - 1706
Spade-end hooks - 2500 years old
Ground-bait marker float - 1675

And several more!

Another essential read (for me, at least!) is 'Best Sporting Stories' selected by J.Wentworth Day. My first copy is falling to pieces, so I bought another. Perfect 'bedside book'. The stories range from the 1880s to the mid-1920s and cover a multitude of sports - including fishing. I cannot recommend it more highly.

[Rutland Rod]

Good bunch of goodies 'nailbourne' your spot on with enjoying 'James Wentworth Day' he wrote and edited many books mostly about fishing/shooting/countryside matters in Essex / Suffolk / Norfolk his style of writing represented his class and the era he lived in, he was very good at describing rural characters such as 'marshmen' and farmers/land owners, a book I like is 'Farming Adventure' where he rides his horse around the eastern counties/east midlands in the war. Whilst out in central america in the 1980's I took a battered copy of his 'Wild Wings' which a colleague described as 'purple prose'.....but to me was the perfect antidote to extreme humidity and lizards etc !
Tight lines
Dave