There’s a copy for sale in the U.K. at $4,200. Does that make my stone copy of the Ten Commandments autographed by someone call Solomon valuable? I got it from a gentleman in Cairo who said he was my affendi and I could have it for twenty quid!
T E Pritt's Grannon or Greentail
Moderators: William Anderson, letumgo
Re: T E Pritt's Grannon or Greentail
Love both fly fishing and fly tying, been doing it for a while
But not much good at either
But not much good at either
Re: T E Pritt's Grannon or Greentail
If the chiseling on the Tablets is clear and legible then you did OK! My personal copy is signed "C. Heston." I bet I got it form that same Cairo bookseller...........bit of a problem to lug around though.
Actually, acquiring a copy of Aldam was something I had aspired to for most of my life, ever since I first knew what it was and how important it is in fly fishing/tying history. I had been offered several copies over the years but never had the wherewithal to pick one up. Then two years ago I lucked into a very nice one at a bargain price so couldn't let it get by me. And I've never regretted the purchase.
I would like to discuss fly tying books here on the Forum. I wonder if there would be any interest.
Actually, acquiring a copy of Aldam was something I had aspired to for most of my life, ever since I first knew what it was and how important it is in fly fishing/tying history. I had been offered several copies over the years but never had the wherewithal to pick one up. Then two years ago I lucked into a very nice one at a bargain price so couldn't let it get by me. And I've never regretted the purchase.
I would like to discuss fly tying books here on the Forum. I wonder if there would be any interest.
Re: T E Pritt's Grannon or Greentail
John,
I would definitely be interested in discussing fly tying books. Acquiring and reading such books has been a passion -- some might say obsession -- of mine for many years.
By the way, I'm now back home. The reference for Paul Schullery's account of the history of eyed hooks and why they were slow to catch on is chapter six of Fly-Fishing Secrets of the Ancients (2009). ("This Most Salutary Reform; The Slow Rise of the Eyed Hook"). --Phil
Re: T E Pritt's Grannon or Greentail
John,
I re-read Schullery's history of the eyed hook last night. Aldam's A Quaint Treatise figures quite prominently! Schullery references Tony Hayter (F.M. Halford and the Dry-Fly Revolution), who wrote that Hall's eyed hooks were inspired by two especially finely made hooks contained in A Quaint Treatise. Here is the relevant paragraph:
Thus, A Quaint Treatise prompted Hall and Bankart to get serious about developing small fine-wire eyed hooks. Hall's oft-quoted patent was in 1879, the same year his hooks (made by Hutchinson of Kendal) were offered for sale. Since A Quaint Treatise was published in 1876, those two eyed hooks in your book are presumably Bartleet hooks.
Chapter 5 of the book recounts the rise and fall of horsehair and silkworm gut as leader material. A theme running through both the leader and hook chapters is that fly anglers are resistant to change, even when in hindsight the change is very beneficial.
Cheers,
Phil
I re-read Schullery's history of the eyed hook last night. Aldam's A Quaint Treatise figures quite prominently! Schullery references Tony Hayter (F.M. Halford and the Dry-Fly Revolution), who wrote that Hall's eyed hooks were inspired by two especially finely made hooks contained in A Quaint Treatise. Here is the relevant paragraph:
Thus, A Quaint Treatise prompted Hall and Bankart to get serious about developing small fine-wire eyed hooks. Hall's oft-quoted patent was in 1879, the same year his hooks (made by Hutchinson of Kendal) were offered for sale. Since A Quaint Treatise was published in 1876, those two eyed hooks in your book are presumably Bartleet hooks.
Chapter 5 of the book recounts the rise and fall of horsehair and silkworm gut as leader material. A theme running through both the leader and hook chapters is that fly anglers are resistant to change, even when in hindsight the change is very beneficial.
Cheers,
Phil
Re: T E Pritt's Grannon or Greentail
Here is a discussion about gut and horse hair lines from 1853.
https://books.google.com/books?id=y90RA ... ut&f=false
The Complete Angler speaks of silk gut and Indian grass lines.
https://books.google.com/books?id=y90RA ... ut&f=false
The Complete Angler speaks of silk gut and Indian grass lines.
Re: T E Pritt's Grannon or Greentail
I for one would be delighted for a thread or subforum devoted to books!
Love both fly fishing and fly tying, been doing it for a while
But not much good at either
But not much good at either
Re: T E Pritt's Grannon or Greentail
Phil,
The whole eyed hook discussion has me delving into many of my books to see what I can come up with. I pulled Schullery's book off the shelf and instead of doing the prudent thing and just looking at the chapter on eyed hooks I started to read it from chapter 1. Now that's a book that has a lot of footnotes and I'm a guy who likes footnotes so I didn't get very far because every footnote sent me to the book cases to see if I had the title he had cited. What fun!
I also found some interesting material on early hooks in Jack Heddon's Scotcher Notes which I will share later.
The whole eyed hook discussion has me delving into many of my books to see what I can come up with. I pulled Schullery's book off the shelf and instead of doing the prudent thing and just looking at the chapter on eyed hooks I started to read it from chapter 1. Now that's a book that has a lot of footnotes and I'm a guy who likes footnotes so I didn't get very far because every footnote sent me to the book cases to see if I had the title he had cited. What fun!
I also found some interesting material on early hooks in Jack Heddon's Scotcher Notes which I will share later.