FIFTY YEARS A FISHERMAN. By Richard Gordon.

1985 1st edition. 8vo (150 x 217mm). Pp110. B/w illustrations by Michael ffolkes. Pictorial laminated boards, issued without a dust-wrapper.

This is the autobiography of the novelist Richard Gordon (Doctor in the House, Doctor at Sea, etc, etc). A concise and entertaining read which gives a good insight into medical services during the war, and how this provided the foundation for the creation of the National Health Service subsequently. Fishing gets a frequent mention. Chapters include: Fishing and life; The first day - on the art of fishing; Fishing and medicine; The second day - a conversation in the rain; Fishing and sex; The third day - meeting with a scholar; Fishing and literature; The last day - hence, loathed melancholy.