FARLOWS SALMON FLIES: AN ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE OF FARLOWS' PATTERN SALMON FLIES 1870 TO 1964. Compiled by Martin Lanigan-O'Keeffe.

2017 1st edition. Large heavy 4to (222 x 287mm). Ppxxviii,360. Superb colour photographs and fly plates throughout. Red cloth, spine titled in gilt.

A history and catalogue of the 695 pattern salmon flies of C. Farlow and Co., 1870-1964, that is the actual flies that they kept as reference patterns for their tyers, illustrating and recording many previously unknown or unidentified patterns. There are flies for England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, as well as Norway and Canada, collected from a variety of sources. More particularly, there are important ranges of flies for certain rivers, notably the Spey, Wye, and Usk, as well as a large number for Ireland. While many were tied by Farlows themselves as pattern examples, there are others, supplied by their customers, from different fly-makers, some of which have clearly had hard use. Most of the flies date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and are a testament to the skill with which the professional fly-tiers of that time turned out beautifully dressed flies in their thousands. A number of the flies are associated with famous names, such as Kelson, Pryce-Tannatt, and Crosfield, and may be from their own hands. The book also contains reproductions of colour plates of salmon flies originally included in Farlows catalogues, as well as a comprehensive summary of the flies listed in them from 1888 to 1914. "A must-have for any fly-tyer or collector, truly superb and will help the collector identify their 'unknowns' and tyers to understand the correct style. The illustrations are of hundreds of original flies! It also contains some fascinating history of the flies and originators." (Colin Innes - author of The Lost Salmon Flies of Balmoral).