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The Compleat Angler

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The Compleat Angler

By: Izaak Walton, Charles Cotton
Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, David Timson, Sean Barrett, Carly Bawden, Steven Blakeley, Jonathan Keeble, Leighton Pugh, Georgina Sutton
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About this listen

"As no man is born an artist, so no man is born an angler."

Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler, long considered the bible of fishing, is a joyful celebration of the English countryside and the relaxed and reflective lifestyle of the devoted fisherman. Through dialogue between teacher and student, the book sheds a unique light on fishing, baiting, and cooking, including an original recipe for trout. Its music, rhymes, poetry, and humor are all brought to life by a full cast. As winding as a quiet brook and as bountiful as a bursting riverbank, The Compleat Angler is essential listening for any outdoors enthusiast.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2017 Naxos AudioBooks Fishing Witty

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surprising how much enjoyed it the book being from 16/17th century is dated but a good basis of philosophy towards fishing and life

Old but good

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I'm not an angler, but I thought I would buy this as it has such good reviews. I'm really pleased that I did. The characters in the book are played by superb actors who bring the story to life. The manners and rich expressions of the time are a joy to listen to. And the details of how to catch, prepare and eat the fish were quite a surprise. I suspect that all of the advice was given in good faith by the author and it may be completely true and accurate, but it is from a time when 'facts' were not quite as tested as they are today. So some descriptions can only be described as wondrous. If you enjoy the prose from a bygone era and either like angling, or are prepared to forgo interest in the subject to bathe in the prose then give this book a try.

What wonderful archaic prose

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A calming historic thing to listen to...
but be prepared for dodgy science ( Some fish are apparently spontaneously generated by sunlight on mud) and some grim baits and fly ingredients.
Don't mind being advised to sew live frogs to your hooks, or advice to make flies from camel hair, bears Dunn and hairs from a cats beard?
The performance absolutely excellent. Worth a listen if only for it's relaxing quality.

An odd little artifact.

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I loved listening to this as I read along with my Folio society copy; there were some erroneous words that didn’t fit with the book, but this didn’t lessen my enjoyment

Great but flawed

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