Books

First Rackham edition, signed limited issue, number 479 of 775 copies signed by the artist. "Mr Rackham takes his own way with Walton, and poses him more for the literary than for the angling reader. But he seems to understand the tones of sky and atmosphere that make angler's weather, and his own vein of the playful-fantastic is most winningly exemplified" (The Observer). The Compleat Angler was first published in 1653. Rackham's publication uses the text of the fifth edition of 1676, the last to be revised by the author. Quarto. Original vellum, spine and front cover lettered in gilt, vignette in gilt on spine, three-line gilt border on front cover, pictorial endpapers, top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Housed in the publisher's card slipcase with paper spine label hand-numbered "479". All housed in a custom green quarter morocco folding box for Asprey. Colour frontispiece and 11 colour plates with captioned tissue guards, line drawings in the text, all by Rackham. Title page with vignette printed in green and black. Spine ends bumped, soiling to spine, small mark on title page, otherwise bright and clean; slipcase with slight wear and one split joint, remaining sound: a near-fine copy. Latimore & Haskell pp. 66-7; Riall, p. 175. The Observer, 29 Nov. 1931.