THE OBSERVER'S BOOK OF FRESHWATER FISHES. By T.B. Bagenal, M.A. Describing 50 species with 32 colour plates.

(1941) 1978 reprint of 1978 2nd edition. 12mo (90mm x 145mm). Pp153. 32 colour plates of fish (see note), b/w photos, illustrations. Light green boards, spine and upper boards titled in black. Dust-wrapper "D".

This volume of the Observer's Books series was first published in 1941 under the authorship of A. Laurence Wells. See WELLS, A. Laurence". The excellent colour plates were taken, as usual, from the matching Wayside and Woodland volume - which had in turn recycled them from a long out-of-print European tome". (Marren and Carter). The Observer's Book Of Freshwater Fishes was one of the last books to ascribe different specific names to the many races and varieties of trout. Hence we have the Welsh black-finned trout, Salmo nigripinnis; the Orkney sea trout, Salmo orcadensis; the phinnock or Eastern sea trout, Salmo brachypoma; and many others. It was not until T.B. Bagenal's revised edition of 1970 that this was changed and the many races were grouped together as Salmo trutta. Although more accurate, the book loses much of its charm as a result. In either edition, this is still one of the most useful pocket references to freshwater and estuarine fish. Dust-wrapper A is white with green titles and decorations and has a plate showing two fish. Dust-wrapper B is white with green titles and decorations, has a plate showing three fish, and dust-wrapper C is green with white and yellow titles, orange decorations and a plate showing two fish. Dust-wrapper D is white with red and black titles and has a photograph of a single perch. This is dust-wrapper D.