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"The Early Years Of The Mitchell Fishing Reel "

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2022 8:03 pm
by Keston
Hi Chaps

I wanted to share a mini review of " The Early Years Of The Michell Fishing Reel " by Rolands Babulis

I found it incredibly interesting reading through Rolands book , It often amazes and delights me that Mitchell collectors and dare I say It Experts are willing to share their wealth of knowledge . This is my first Michell book , so I am unable to draw comparisons to what has gone before and perhaps that was not a bad thing when looking through the book .

Rolands Book is 180 pages spread across 18 chapters ,The pages and print having a good look and feel of quality , I found there to be a good mix of content , Beautiful reels , interesting history & advertisements ,Boxes ,dating , very informative sections on classifying early reels and the anatomy of early reels . Within the latter we see very detailed images of the various areas of reels to help understand how early they are or the classification .

I found the detailed images and descriptions very helpful in understanding some of my own reels , I happy to admit there were aspects of the very earliest reels that I was unaware of . I also enjoyed the section on boxes as that was an area in which my knowledge is particularly lacking .

I really liked the way the author lays out the book as a reference draw up from his own knowledge and understanding and doesnt try and push it as a "bible" or ultimate or only authority to rigidly follow. In one part of the author writes :
"The reader is advised to consider the book with an open mind . Don't take everything written within this book as Gospel ; make your own enquiries and reach your own conclusions ."

The sheer number of early reels studied by the author is a huge factor in supporting the content of the book as a work of reference , but much more than that , in sharing some of the collectors reels we can glimpse into the world of the high end collector that perhaps most would never see . I would imagine many Mitchell collectors and enthusiasts might never see let alone own one of Mitchells very earliest reels . To see some of those treasures laid out in high quality and well printed images was a bit of a treat .

For the most part many Mitchell books are hard to come by so I was pleased to have this one . It ticks a lot of boxes including being informative and also entertaining due to the quality reels contained within .

let me know if you would like more details from the author .

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Re: "The Early Years Of The Mitchell Fishing Reel "

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2022 8:28 pm
by Lea Dweller
Knowing how much you love Mitchell reels, pretty much guaranteed you would be interested in this book John! It does sound great and will I am sure become a great reference book for you! :Hat:

Re: "The Early Years Of The Mitchell Fishing Reel "

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2022 8:32 pm
by Keston
Lea Dweller wrote: Tue Nov 08, 2022 8:28 pm Knowing how much you love Mitchell reels, pretty much guaranteed you would be interested in this book John! It does sound great and will I am sure become a great reference book for you! :Hat:
Thanks Ted , There are a few Mitchell collectors who have amassed a huge amount of knowledge through years of studying a large number of reels , those views are worth respecting and using ..

Re: "The Early Years Of The Mitchell Fishing Reel "

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 4:09 pm
by Watermole+
That looks a wonderful book-which it undoubtedly is; stuffed full of all there ever is to know about the Mitchell reel by those who know all there ever is to know about it!

Beautifully printed and presented..

..but for that money, it is to me, rather disappointing that it could not have been made up as a proper hardback edition with a nice dust cover, fit to grace anyone's bookshelf..
.. instead of that ring binder notebook format which rather lets it down.

wm+

Re: "The Early Years Of The Mitchell Fishing Reel "

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 5:44 pm
by Keston
Watermole+ wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 4:09 pm That looks a wonderful book-which it undoubtedly is; stuffed full of all there ever is to know about the Mitchell reel by those who know all there ever is to know about it!

Beautifully printed and presented..

..but for that money, it is to me, rather disappointing that it could not have been made up as a proper hardback edition with a nice dust cover, fit to grace anyone's bookshelf..
.. instead of that ring binder notebook format which rather lets it down.

wm+
Hi WM+
Thats a valid comment .
I have no idea why it was done this way rather than as a more traditional style of book , it crossed my mind but never thought to question it . Perhaps because subconsciously I viewed it as a refence book , and as such it made sense to me to be easily able to open the book out flat on a table with reels ? I would imagine you would probably not be alone in preferring books to be able to fit in with other books on a bookshelf .
Its probably neither here nor there , but the book does have clear protective covers front and back . I chose to not show the very glossy protective cover for photographic refection reasons as the cover page was a more matt finish .

Of course now you mention it I am curious to know the authors rationale for taking the binder option . I'm sure he must have given it some thought .

Best wishes
John

Re: "The Early Years Of The Mitchell Fishing Reel "

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 6:29 pm
by Liphook
Probably ring bound for cost? It's incredibly expensive to set up prints for such low demand specialist titles. I actually like a ring bound book. Many of my workshop manuals are produced this way.

Re: "The Early Years Of The Mitchell Fishing Reel "

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2022 9:06 am
by Dave F
Rolands has a “third edition” updated book that I’m waiting to receive. Should be arriving tomorrow (17th). I believe, that there are only twenty-five copies.

:readnews:

Dave F.

It arrived and it really is an interesting publication. I just wish that I could read the serial number on my 300A…..