London: Samuel Bagster, 1808. First Bagster edition. Octavo (8 x 4 7/8 inches; 204 x 124 mm.). [iv], vi, vii-512, pp. Hand-colored frontispiece and nineteen engraved plates and two sheets of music. Ten of the plates are engraved by Audinet, eight after Wale, two after Samuel; two music plate; two plates of fishing tackle and flies. There are seventeen fine engravings of fish and two large woodcuts in the text. Extra-illustrated by the insertion of fifty-five engraved plates of which ten are hand-colored. Bound ca. 1925 by Bayntun, stamp-signed in gilt "Bayntun. Binder. Bath. Eng." on front turn-in. Full green crushed levant morocco over beveled boards, covers with elaborate gilt frames, spine with five raised bands, elaborately decorated and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt decorated board edges, wide gilt turn-ins, all edges gilt. Front doublure of brown morocco surrounded by a frame of inlaid maroon morocco. Set into the front doublure is a fine oval miniature painting of Isaac Walton under beveled glass within a double gilt frame. Set into the rear doublure is a fine oval miniature painting of Charles Cotton under beveled glass within a double gilt frame. Both miniatures measure 3 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches; 82 x 63 mm. Green watered silk end-leaves. Expertly and almost invisibly rebacked with the original spine laid down, spine very slightly sunned, otherwise a fine example housed in its original felt-lined green cloth clamshell case, spine lettered in gilt.

Walton’s famous pastoral work on fishing, The Compleat Angler, is combined here with additions by Robert Venables and Charles Cotton on the art of fly fishing in particular. Walton, the son of innkeepers, moved to London to become an ironmonger but would spend the last forty years of his life collecting information and writing on fishing. The book was first published in 1653 but re-released in numerous editions both due to its popularity and Walton’s propensity to revise and contribute more chapters to it. It has stayed in print since it was first published and is noted for its well observed descriptions of English country life. “The Compleat Angler has something in common with 'Lady Chatterley’s Lover:' while many know the title, few have actually read it. Yet it’s the most frequently reprinted book in the English language after the Bible” (The Guardian).

George Bayntun (1873-1940) was the founder of Bayntun Bindery (1894) dedicated to using traditional hand-crafted techniques and high-quality materials. “The Riviere Bindery was one of the most notable and prolific shops in London's West End from about 1840 through 1939” (Princeton). Bath-based Bayntun Bindery acquired the firm in 1939, transforming into the “Bayntun-Riviere bindery,” which is still in existence and family owned. Although named after the English miniaturist Richard Cosway (1742-1821), the desirable “Cosway Binding” with its jewel-like portrait miniature set into a fine binding was first developed at the turn of the century by J.H. Stonehouse, director of London’s Henry Sotheran Booksellers. Their miniatures were painstakingly crafted by the talented painter Miss C. B. Currie (1849-1940). As the style grew in popularity, other publishing houses quickly began to reproduce this technique—each developing their own desirable take on the aesthetic—referred to as “Cosway style.”

Coigney, 18 (Item #6230)