A TREATYSE OF FYSSHYNGE WYTH AN ANGLE

Chelsea: Ashendene Press, 1903. ONE OF 150 COPIES ON PAPER, 125 of them for sale (and 20 vellum copies for sale). 200 x 140 mm. (7 7/8 x 5 1/2"). 48 pp.
Original vellum, gilt spine titling, leaves untrimmed. One nearly full-page reproduction of a 15th century woodcut, one red initial, several small illustrations of fishing implements in text, printer's device on colophon leaf. Printed in Subiaco type. Front flyleaf inscribed "W C Stuart / from C H S J Hornby / Christmas, 1908." Hornby 16, Tomkinson, p. 5. A hint of dust soiling, naturally occurring variations in grain of vellum, but a very fine copy--entirely clean, fresh, and bright internally, in an unworn binding.

This is a lovely private press edition of the earliest known book on sport fishing, with text and illustrations taken from the "Boke of St. Albans," as originally published in 1496 by Wynkyn de Worde. "Treatyse" predates Walton's "Compleat Angler" by 150 years, and clearly influenced the later work. The nobly born prioress of a Benedictine nunnery near St. Albans, Dame Juliana Berners (b. 1388, fl. 1460) is described by Britannica as "a woman of keen intellect and an accomplished practitioner and avid devotee of outdoor sports, including angling and hunting"--pursuits likely developed during a youth spent at court. Britannica further notes that, "despite its antiquity, 'Treatyse' remains a remarkable work for its detail and vision. A comprehensive guide for the anglers of its time, the book contains substantial information on fishing destinations, rod and line construction, and selection of natural baits and preferred artificial fly dressings categorized by the season of their optimum utility. Perhaps most remarkable are the essays on the virtues of conservation, respecting the rights of streamside landowners, and angler’s etiquette." Founded by Charles Harry St John Hornby (1867-1946), the Ashendene Press issued 40 books, plus additional minor pieces, from 1895-1935. Less elaborate in appearance and design than William Morris' Kelmscott volumes, but more ornamental than the products of Cobden-Sanderson's Doves Press, the Ashendene volumes have long been considered the most satisfying of English private press books. The Berners treatise is the first prose work to appear in the Ashendene Subiaco type, based on the first roman type created by Sweyheym and Pannartz in the 15th century. Our volume was very probably a Christmas gift from the printer, but the identity of the inscribee Stuart remains elusive. Although this work appears in the market place with some regularity, copies as fine as the present one are increasingly difficult to find..