The American Angler's Book: Embracing the Natural History of Sporting Fish and the Art of Taking Them with Instructions in Fly-Fishing, Fly-Making, and Rod-Making and Directions for Fish-Breeding, to which is appended Dies Piscatoriae Describing Noted Fishing-Places, and The Pleasure of Solitary Fly-Fishing

Philadelphia: E.H. Butler and Co, 1864. First American Edition. Ocatvo. 22.5cm. Publisher's dark green embossed cloth lavishly decorated in blind and gilt, gilt titles to spine. 604pp. Tight, bright and handsome, a little bumped to corners and some softening at the spine ends, otherwise very pleasing; internally clean and fresh, coated brown endpapers, inner hinge barely starting, with a crack to the paper not affecting the joint, frontis with tissue guard, illustrated throughout with full page plates of fish and flies, and numerous in-text engravings. A very good, bright, strong copy indeed.

A major work by the sportsman and naturalist known as "America's Walton" and generally referred to as "Uncle Thad" by his acolytes. Norris was one of the first sporting author's to develop techniques specifically for American waters, realising that traditional European methods had been developed for a completely different ecological environment. He was also the developer and designer of new fly-fishing technologies, and pioneered the development and adoption of the split bamboo fishing rod. Scarce thus.