Andrew Lang’s Introduction to The Compleat Angler is a biographical and critical essay that examines the life, character, and literary achievement of Izaak Walton while explaining the background and enduring value of his most celebrated work. Lang portrays Walton as a gentle and peace-loving man who preserved his faith, loyalty, and contentment through the political and religious upheavals of seventeenth-century England, while also describing his friendships with notable writers and his work as a biographer. First published in 1653, The Compleat Angler is presented not merely as a practical fishing manual but as a graceful mixture of conversation, anecdote, poetry, natural observation, and reflection, in which angling becomes a discipline of patience and tranquillity. By tracing Walton’s literary sources, the book’s changing editions, and its later reception, Lang explains that its lasting appeal lies less in technical instruction than in its humane spirit, quiet charm, and celebration of simple happiness in nature.
