Guides: The Compleat Angler: And Other Meditations on the Art and Philosophy of Fishing, 15th Century to the Present: 19th Century Editions

1810 - The Bagster Facsimile Edition

Chub

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, 1810

Trout

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, 1810

Grayling

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, 1810

Salmon

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, 1810

Pike

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, 1810

Carp

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, 1810

Bream

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, 1810

Tench

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, 1810

Perch

The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton, 1810

The 1810 edition published by Samuel Bagster is the earliest attempt at an exact reprint of the 1653 edition. This copy is extra illustrated, and it contains all 17 engravings of fish by Philip Audinet that appear in Bagster’s first edition of 1808, which are hand-colored in this copy.

Walton, Izaak, (1593-1683).
Bagster, Samuel, (1772-1851) editor and publisher.
Audinet, Philip, (1766-1837) artist and engraver.

The Compleat Angler or the Contemplative Man’s Recreation.

London: Printed for S. Bagster, in the Strand. MDCCCX.

University Library System - Archives & Special Collections

1815 - The Second Bagster Edition

Title Page

The Complete Angler, Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton, 1815

Portrait of Sir John Hawkins

The Complete Angler, Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton, 1815

Map of the River Lea

The Complete Angler, Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton, 1815

Men and Women Fishing at a River

The Complete Angler, Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton, 1815

A Man and a Woman Fishing in a Boat

The Complete Angler, Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton, 1815

This is the extra-illustrated Bagster edition from the fifth edition of 1676, edited with notes by Sir Henry Ellis, who later became the head librarian at the British Museum. There are fifty illustrations, including engravings of fish, landscapes, music, and portraits. In addition, two of the engravings show women fishing together with men. One of the engravings is by James Hopwood, and depicts a couple fishing from a boat with details of artificial flies at the top of the image.

Walton, Izaak, (1593-1683).
Cotton, Charles, (1630-1687).
Bagster, Samuel, (1772-1851), editor and publisher.
Ellis, Sir Henry, (1777-1869), editor.
Hopwood, James, (1740’s or 50’s-1819) artist.

The Complete Angler, or Contemplative Man’s Recreation.

London: Printed for Samuel Bagster, in the Strand, By R. Watts, at Broxbourne, on the River Lea, Herts. MDCCCXV.

University Library System - Archives & Special Collections

About the 19th Century Editions

Though Walton's work was made popular again in the 18th century by the various editions put out by Brown and Hawkins, the 19th century saw a real increase in new editions of The Compleat Angler. Revitalized interest in the art of angling led to numerous editors and publishers creating their own version of the Angler. Some were true to the original, while others displayed current interests and trends. The 1885 version, for instance, contains only the songs from the Angler, presented along with new illustrations drawn by the artist and editor, Joseph Crawhall.