An immediate success upon its initial publication in 1653, The Compleat Angler has since become the most reprinted secular book in the English language. Here we join Piscator, Venator, and Auceps on a morning journey through the English countryside as Piscator advises on catching and eating different species of fish and expounds upon the satisfactions of the fisherman's life. More than a guide to the subtle intricacies of the sport, Walton's treatise is a graceful portrait of a simple life made rich by virtue and good friendship. -- from back cover.