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Crawhall, Joseph.
HOLD (Catalogue) The Compleatest Angling Book That Ever Was Writ.
Publisher: Andrew Reid, Newcastle Upon Tyne;
Date of Publication: 1881
Stock Code: 3551
Limited second edition of 100 copies only. Quarto, pp., [i-viii] ix-ccxxxiii, [5], etched, woodcut, and wood-engraved vignettes (many hand-coloured) by Crawhall II, Crawhall III, James Guthrie, and W. Chapman throughout. Publisher’s black full morocco; spine on five raised bands; titled in gilt to spine; blind panel design surrounding hedera stamp to upper board; gilt fillet borders. Rebacked with new end-papers. Housed in modern black cloth slipcase. Slight rubbing to edges; corners gently bumped. Occasional toning commensurate with the consciously terrible paper stock, but internally rather bright. A very good copy indeed. In 1883 Westwood & Satchell described the first edition of this work (that was limited to 40 copies) as “a very curious and original work and one of the chief rarities of the angling bibliophiles collection”. Demand for a second edition of ‘The Compleatest Angling Book’ was such that, in 1881, the artist produced the only second edition of any of his work. Eschewing his usually extreme limitation, it was perhaps a letter from Oscar Wilde requesting a copy that spurred Crawhall to produce this book (the letter was tipped into Crawhall’s extra-illustrated copy of this edition, formerly owned by this bookseller). Crawhall would never again bow to public pressure, despite similar demands being made of his later works. After publication the plates to this second edition were then destroyed. £850.00