The Complete Angler or The Contemplative Man's Recreation. [with] Instructions How to Angle for a Trout or Grayling in a Clear Stream by Walton, Izaak and Charles Cotton - 1836

London: William Pickering, 1836. First Thus. First Nicolas edition (true first published in 1653). Full green levant morocco by A.W. Bain ca. 1880 (stamp-signed on verso of front free-endpaper). Covers panelled in gilt, spines panelled and lettered in gilt in compartments, board edges ruled in gilt, turn-ins ruled in gilt, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Large paper copy. Two large octavo volumes extended to four (10 9/16 x 7 3/16 inches; 269 x 183 mm.). Collating [16], cxl, [6], [cxlv]-clxiv, [4,], [clxv]-ccxii, [2], 129, [1, blank]; [4, half-title and title to Volume II, bound at the beginning of the second physical volume in this copy, before the half-title to "Life of Charles Cotton"], [131]-436, [32, index]. Occasional light foxing. Sixty-one engraved plates and vignettes printed on India paper and mounted. With an additional set of artist's proofs inserted, most before lettering, the vignettes worked on separate leaves. Title-pages printed in red and black. This copy extra-illustrated with over 250 plates, not including the additional unlettered set of artist's proofs from this edition. Including twelve hand colored plates of fish, sixty-four black and white illustrations of fish, nineteen hand-colored plates from Alfred Ronalds's The Fly-Fisher's Entomology (London, 1868), &c. &c. A unique and wonderful copy.

"Edited by Sir Harris Nicolas, this edition was illustrated by the foremost contemporary artists, produced by an excellent printer and issued by an outstanding publisher. It has been acclaimed as the finest Angler ever published... It was the first edition to be divided into days, contains many editor's notes and comments, and has new material on Walton and Cotton" (Horne). A large paper copy, "where all the illustrations are engraved on India paper and laid down in the text. In addition, all the 61 portraits, views, fishing scenes, head-pieces are duplicated by a set of proofs on India paper laid down and bound in, in place" (Coigney).

Coigney 44. Horne 43. Oliver 41.
Alexander William Bain, bookbinder. Commercial Buildings, 80 Gray's Inn Road, London W.C.