D IS FOR DINGLEY: THE MASTER REELMAKER. By Patrick Garner and Brian Taylor.

2011 1st edition - paperback issue. 4to (217 x 278mm). Ppvii,ii,150,ii. Colour and b/w photographs, illustrations.

The definitive history of Dingley reels as well as a biography of master reelmaker, William Henry Dingley, 1860-1946. "From Patrick Garner and Brian Taylor comes the definitive work on the life and career of W.H. Dingley. Beginning in 1860, when a fourteen year old William Henry Dingley apprenticed with master reelmaker Reuben Heaton, Dingley spent a lifetime crafting some of the finest reels ever made. From Heaton to David Slater to Hardy to J.J.S. Walker to finally making reels for himself in his modest shop, this book details the life and career of a true Victorian artist. For the first time, Dingley's story is told in print. The authors consulted numerous archives, catalogs, and vintage periodicals, and interviewed ex-Hardy and ex-Dingley reel makers. They handled original documents, corresponded with Dingley family members, and corrected rumours and previously published errors. Collectors from around the world sent the authors their prized examples of Dingley reels for analysis and photo-documentation. Almost sixty individual Dingley reels were studied, making this the definitive work on the subject." Chapters include:- W.H. Dingley: The early years; Dingley and the Hardy Bros. ; The Dingley family and the church; The story of Dingley reels; Dingley: The later years; Reel terminology; How a small reel manufactory operated in England between the wars; W.H. Dingley, Westley Richards and other dealers; Dingley reel features; Dingley Uniqua-style reels; Dingley dry fly reels; Dingley St. George-style reels; Dingley Perfect-style reels; Dingley casting reels; Dingley sea reels; Dingley fixed-spool reels; A rare Dingley prototype by Stuart Tod; Dingley: Dealer catalogs; Dingley patents.