THE RAPTURE OF THE RIVER: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A SOUTH AFRICAN FISHERMAN. By S.A. Hey.

1957 1st edition. 4to. Pp258. B/w photographs, text illustrations. Blue leatherette.

Part autobiography and part detailed account of South African waters. The author based a good deal of his text on reports he had written for the South African government. He "seems to have compiled these reports by conscientiously fishing every stream, river and dam in South Africa". Much also on the author's pioneering work introducing trout to previously untouched South African waters". If you only ever collect one book, let it be Rapture Of The River. There will never be another that sums up the soul of South African fly fishing as brilliantly". (Paul Curtis in Fishing The Margins, 2005)*. Other copies seen state the limitation to have been only 200 copies and are signed by the author. This copy is not signed or numbered, but is nevertheless a very nice copy of an exceedingly rare book. Laid in this copy is a note from a previous owner, Martin Coyne, lending it to a friend,"...treat it with the same care that you reserve for your favourite mistress". The front free end-paper has a short inscription (not by the author) to Mr Coyne, and a tape-mark.