the compleat Angler is 'a boring load of tosh'... apparently...

[Ouse Wanderer]

I should,of course, have said 'bad teachers', Santiago. Believe it or not I've met (non-professional) teachers, of angling, who could put you off angling!

[Aitch]

I read TCA many years ago and found it a hard read, but you have to take into account when it was written and the circumstances of it's time...
I have to say that I'd rather folk read that than dross like 50 Shades Of Grey or Game Of Thrones or other nonsense.... But then I suppose that given Mr Elliot's views he would probably have it banned for subverting folk to take up a pastime that encourages the enjoyment of the countryside and conservation of species, despite his own love of the sport... His own words claiming to love fishing for Mahseer or Salmon whilst decrying Walton, tend to label the man as a snob of the highest order

[Snape]

"Yet to hear some people talk, you would think Walton's work was the definitive tome on angling (though why anyone should write a book on fishing just because an apple fell on his head is beyond me)"

He's got his Izaak/Isaacs mixed up too!

[Beresford]

"Yet to hear some people talk, you would think Walton's work was the definitive tome on angling (though why anyone should write a book on fishing just because an apple fell on his head is beyond me)"

He's got his Izaak/Isaacs mixed up too!

Yes, most amusingly so. Perhaps he should be told. Unforgivable really especially since he lives within a stone's throw of Cambridge.

[Snape]

"Yet to hear some people talk, you would think Walton's work was the definitive tome on angling (though why anyone should write a book on fishing just because an apple fell on his head is beyond me)"

He's got his Izaak/Isaacs mixed up too!

Yes, most amusingly so. Perhaps he should be told. Unforgivable really especially since he lives within a stone's throw of Cambridge.

At least is wasn't Walton he got mixed up with and said:
"Yet to hear some people talk, you would think Walton's work was the definitive tome on angling (though why anyone should write a book on fishing just because he lived in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II with his six siblings.)"

[Tinca10]

Yeah, The Compleat Angler is a labour of love.It's quirky, it's of its time; I have to have a copy on my shelf, but rarely dip in. I guess I've read most of it over the years in small bites. Lots of quotable bits. And I love the recipes!

[Ouse Wanderer]

As I haven't read the original article I think we should beware in case somebody says that both Americans and Traditional Anglers 'don't do irony'.

[Rutland Rod]

I think this debate and the contributions are far more interesting than the book in question itself !
Tight lines
Dave

[GregF]

the parody in Waterlog – Mrs Walton's Cookbook used to make me smile.

Mrs. Walton’s Cookbook had the opposite effect on me. Although it was amusing early on, towards the end of the series it appeared to become an account of the author’s marriage breaking down. Going through something similar at the time, I often found it quite uncomfortable to read.

[Dave Burr]

I've often wondered - before Isaac Newton invented gravity, how did things fall down?