Spring -Tide; or, the Angler and His Friends by Akerman, John Yonge

London: Richard Bentley, 1850. First edition (xv, 192). Duodecimo, in olive green pebbled cloth with gilt and impressed decoration, gilt titles. Set as six dialogues, chiefly between Senex (as you would expect, the wise old angler) and Julian (the tyro); occasionally the conversation includes one or another local character who speaks a West Country dialect (‘Jack ‘ad cot a girt beg trout just agin thuck pwoast, and a run backerds to kip’s line tight, right bang auver oone o’ they hives. Massey haugh! What a buzzin’ and vizzin’ there was to be zhure!’), furnishing Senex the opportunity for friendly lectures on country values and comparative etymology. Akerman (1806- 1873), once secretary to the social reformer William Cobbett, is best known as an antiquarian (The dialogues are freighted with Latin and Greek phrases and tags) and more especially as a numismatist, the founder of the London Numismatic Society and the Numismatic Journal (ODNB). A fine, sharp copy of an amusing and learned book..not bad on fishing either. See also Westwood, 3.