THE NORTH COUNTRY FLY: YORKSHIRE'S SOFT HACKLE TRADITION. By Robert L. Smith. Two volume de luxe leather-bound edition.

2015 1st edition. De luxe issue. Two volumes together in slipcase. 4to. Ppx,302. Colour and b/w photographs, line drawings. Full dark blue Nigerian goatskin. Slipcase.

The author's research has brought to light many rare documents, providing evidence for a tradition of imitative fly dressing, particularly in Yorkshire's Wharfedale, going back over 300 years. He has had access to several rare and early fly lists and his book includes the full texts of several previously unpublished manuscripts - from William Lister's fishing diary 1712-1724 to a number of fly-lists of nineteenth century beck-watchers. Additionally he provides much new information on previously published sources such as Walbran, Pritt and Edmonds and Lee, as well as up-to-date information on tying and fishing soft-hackle flies. Beautifully illustrated with examples of actual flies and materials, and with images from the original manuscripts, this book tells the definitive story of the North Country fly. DE LUXE EDITION. This is a copy of the two volume de luxe edition, each finely bound in full dark blue Nigerian goatskin leather. Volume One is the text of The North Country Fly and is signed and numbered by the author. Volume Two contains two panels each containing ten specimens of North Country flies dressed for this edition by the author. This selection of traditional patterns is taken from a wide variety of North Country rivers and streams, and the flies have been tied from the original dressings and utilising authentic North Country hackles and vintage silks. In order to best remain faithful to the profile of the original patterns, the flies have been dressed on straight-eyed, light-wire Daiichi dry-fly hooks. The two leather-bound volumes are housed together in a handsome matching blue slipcase lined with wine-red felt. This de luxe edition was limited to only 25 signed and numbered two-volume sets for sale.