Review by Frank Plowright

The Compleat Angler was first published in 1653 by Isaak Walton, was considerably revised several times during his lifetime and has never been out of print since. It’s a paean to the pastoral pastime of fishing, a discursive discussion about nature and a still relevant guide to catching assorted fish. In his introduction Gareth Brookes notes that although he uses much of the original text, his graphic novel is in effect a remix, altering the structure and considerably contracting Walton’s work. He advises you read that separately.

How faithful this is to the original is something others will have to discuss, but as a graphic novel in its own right The Compleat Angler is a quiet success for anyone wanting a contemplative experience. Brookes opens with Walton’s thoughts on those looking down on angling as a waste of time, scoffing at their prioritising acquisition of wealth, accompanied by simple illustrations of life at the riverside. They’re reproduced as smudged and warped as if drawn in a notebook in the rain, the contemplations occurring while fishing. It’s one of two contrasting artistic styles employed. There are also linocut prints in black ink with a different additional colour for each new chapter. The look is visually striking, adaptable and attractive, with an effect completed by a font looking to be hand written employing Walton’s now outdated spelling.

As the TV show Mortimer and Whitehouse Go Fishing has discovered, all it takes to capture the attention of non-anglers is to have interesting personalities offering their thoughts, and there’s no doubt about Walton being an interesting personality. He’s observant and a keen listener, building his own fishing lore that’s still relevant for detailing personal experience despite guidebooks being long available.

Beginning with the pike, Walton’s observations on assorted fish are astounding and entertaining, and his habit of attributing fisherman’s stories is endearing. We now have no idea who Gesner might be, but Walton deems them a person of credit when commenting on matters learned from them. Walton discusses how catching different fish requires different techniques, how to cook some, their habits in the water, the creatures that prey on fish, and so much more. He’s philosophical and well ahead of his time in respecting nature, yet also prone to poetic flourishes and relishing eating the fish he’s caught.

Like Brookes’ comment about Walton’s original work, this is a book best savoured in segments instead of consumed in a single rush, surely advice Walton himself would impart. Of necessity it follows a formula in discussing assorted fish a chapter at a time and wholesale consumption means you’ll forget which fish is the enemy of the frog and which was observed with a frog sticking to its head. Or which fish is tempted by a paste of brown bread and honey and which is attracted to the dragonfly. Or which fish St Ambrose would always talk to and which river avoids flowing on the Sabbath…

The Compleat Angler is a delight, an absolute delight.