Mainly About Fishing

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First Publication

Published by Adam & Charles Black in February, 1959.

Availability

Out of print.

Background

In 1944 Ransome proposed to his fishing friend Charles Renold that they work together on a book, on the subject of fishing flies. Called A Plague of Flies, it was to have been published by Jonathan Cape.

A Plague of Flies was never published, largely because of problems in producing the numerous colour plates on which the book depended. But much of the material Ransome wrote for it was later incorporated into Mainly About Fishing, as were several later essays.

This was the last book that Ransome published during his lifetime.

Synopsis

Mainly About Fishing contains 20 essays, notably Salmon Chew Gum: the Story of the Elver Fly, in which Ransome describes his invention of the Elver Fly.