The Compleat Angler (PDF eBook*)

The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton

Breathes the very spirit of innocence, purity, and simplicity of heart . . . it would sweeten a man's temper at any time to read it." — Charles Lamb

First published in 1653, this literary and nature classic was created by a Londoner with a passion for rustic life. As satisfying a primer on fishing as any angler could wish, it celebrates the art and spirit of fishing with verse, song and folklore, moral reflections, and timeless wisdom. Cast in the form of a dialogue between the veteran angler Piscator and his pupil Viator, it both informs and delights with an ingenious exploration of fishing's subtle intricacies and the pleasures of the natural world.

I'm Lance — I'm one-half of A Boy and his Dog: Outdoor Americana. When I'm not writing about critters and conservation and camping — I sell books. Specifically, I sell old, rare, and otherwise hard-to-find books.

Vintage books can be incredibly expensive. Many of them, like this one, can be reproduced and republished independently. I began making some of these older books available to my bookshop's customers several years ago. When putting them together — I look at it with a conservator's eye: I try to find the best copies, the best scans, and I create my editions with the kind of love and attention their original publishers and binders did.

For this edition — I've added a biography of Walton, cleaned the whole thing up nice and neat, redesigned the front matter to flow with my other ebook library offerings, and stirred it all together and cooked it with love.

• This is the first release of this edition, before I begin the work of creating ePub, Mobi, and Kindle editions — and it's available starting at the low, low price of "free," for my readers and subscribers on Substack at https://boyandhisdog.substack.com.

(5/15/2024) If you'd prefer the other formats — they'll be available by the end of the week. You can either keep us bookmarked, or contact me directly, until then.

I spent hours of my time putting this together — and I'm still absolutely fine with you having it for free. This is a work that deserves to be preserved, read, and loved by anyone who loves nature, fishing, or simply lazy Sundays daydreaming about finding home and friendship in the great outdoors.

And I took a deeper dive than just a synopsis — you can find that here.

If you enjoy this, consider coming to visit over on Substack, Medium, or Newsbreak, where you can find all my writing.

We'll see you on the trail.

Happy tails, readers.