The Fisherman's Bedside Book

by BB

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This book will be available to purchase on Sep 04, 2025


This is a selection of the best essays from the celebrated classic fishing anthology, first compiled in 1945 by 'BB', one of Britain's best-loved naturalists. 

There are tales of salmon and trout with sections on coarse fishing: carp, tench, barbel, perch, roach, bream, pike and chub. The 'Bishop Browne' story of the giant salmon that was hooked in 1896 where the Earn flows into the Tay and fought for ten hours before the line went slack, cannot fail to arouse a thrill in all fishermen, and there are other classics and less famous fishing incidents in Britain and abroad.

The fine and distinctive scraperboard illustrations by Denys Watkins-Pitchford ('BB') all appeared in the original edition of The Fisherman's Bedside Book.

Ian Niall in his introduction describes how BB's artistic vision and naturalist's observation enabled him to look at the reeds and rushes, the ancient pollarded willow by the pool and the duck shedding water droplets from frantically beating wings as it springs into the air, and to capture them in illustration and word.

The Fisherman's Bedside Book brings together this rare combination of Denys Watkins-Pitchford's skills with some of the best writing from fishing people for fishing people.

Availability:

Illustrations:
b&w illustrations, 46 Black & white illustrations

Pages:
224

Published:
Feb 02, 2004

ISBN:
9781873674673

About the Author:

Denys Watkins-Pitchford, or 'BB' as he is known, was born in 1905. He grew up in Northamptonshire, where he spent many hours out in the open air as ill health prevented him from being sent to boarding school.

He studied art in Paris and at The Royal College of Art in London, and for seventeen years was art master at Rugby School.

He was already illustrating books before he began to write under his pseudonym, 'BB'.

The Sportsman's Bedside Book (1937) was the first to carry these now famous initials, followed by Wild Lone, the Story of the Pytchley Fox (1939) and Manka, The Sky Gypsy, The Story of a Wild Goose (1939). He was awarded the Carnegie Medal for The Little Grey Men (1941), the tale of the last gnomes in England, which established him in the forefront of literature for children. Many titles followed for both adults and children, and his reputation as a naturalist was further enhanced by his contributions to The Field, Country Life and Shooting Times.

He died in 1990.



Denys Watkins-Pitchford, or 'BB' as he is known, was born in 1905. He grew up in Northamptonshire, where he spent many hours out in the open air as ill health prevented him from being sent to boarding school.

He studied art in Paris and at The Royal College of Art in London, and for seventeen years was art master at Rugby School.

He was already illustrating books before he began to write under his pseudonym, 'BB'.

The Sportsman's Bedside Book (1937) was the first to carry these now famous initials, followed by Wild Lone, the Story of the Pytchley Fox (1939) and Manka, The Sky Gypsy, The Story of a Wild Goose (1939). He was awarded the Carnegie Medal for The Little Grey Men (1941), the tale of the last gnomes in England, which established him in the forefront of literature for children. Many titles followed for both adults and children, and his reputation as a naturalist was further enhanced by his contributions to The Field, Country Life and Shooting Times.

He died in 1990.


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