Bibliography of Fly Fishing - 18th-century Texts

18th-century Texts

• Brookes, Richard M.D. (1766). The Art of Angling in Two Parts-Comprising all that is curious and valuable in the Art of Angling. London: T. Lowndes. http://books.google.com/books/pdf/The_art_of_angling__rock_and_sea_fishing.pdf?id=OEQCAAAAQAAJ&output=pdf&sig=TtZMlxJe7c7MySmXxCjdtjNqVCU., Online Version (7th Edition-1790), the Brookes text, which went through seven editions in the late 18th century, are extremely important in closing the gap of knowledge about fly fishing from the time of Walton to the early 19th century. Brookes is also the first to make written references to fly fishing in saltwater.
• Best, Thomas (1787). A Concise Treatise on the Art of Angling. London: B. Crosby & Co. http://www.archive.org/details/concisetreatiseo00bestiala., this work first appeared in 1787 and ran through 13 editions.

He makes mention of the multiplying reel, the first time we hear of it, but evidently not unknown before his day. In the second part of the book, which has the special title The Complete Fly-fisher, he describes the dressing of many flies and their killing powers. Upon the whole, it is a practical and sensible work.

— James Robb, Notable Angling Literature, 1945