The Compleat Angler

The Compleat Angler is a practical guide to the art of angling, or fishing. The work has a nominal plot: Piscator (a fisherman), Venator (a hunter), and Auceps (a falconer) meet by chance and fall to discussing the merits of each man's preferred sport. Piscator's eloquent description of the joys and virtues of fishing convinces Venator to accompany him for several days of fishing. The bulk of the work, however, consists of practical advice to fishermen, as told by Piscator to Venator,...
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The Compleat Angler is a practical guide to the art of angling, or fishing. The work has a nominal plot: Piscator (a fisherman), Venator (a hunter), and Auceps (a falconer) meet by chance and fall to discussing the merits of each man's preferred sport. Piscator's eloquent description of the joys and virtues of fishing convinces Venator to accompany him for several days of fishing. The bulk of the work, however, consists of practical advice to fishermen, as told by Piscator to Venator, about such topics as bait and fishing equipment, the habits of different kinds of fish, and methods of catching and cooking various fish. The Compleat Angler was by no means the only fishing handbook of its day. It was certainly the most popular, however, and by the middle of the twentieth century, The Compleat Angler had been reprinted and translated nearly four hundred times. What sets The Compleat Angler apart from other practical handbooks and puts it firmly in the realm of literature is its delightful style that is technically polished and charming to read and its abundance of insight into human nature.