author

active 1651 Thomas Barker

Best known for one of the earliest English books on fishing, this 17th-century writer mixed practical advice with a real delight in the sport. His work helped shape angling literature long before it became a familiar genre.

1 Audiobook

The art of angling : $b wherein are discovered many rare secrets, very necessary to be known by all that delight in that recreation

The art of angling : $b wherein are discovered many rare secrets, very necessary to be known by all that delight in that recreation

by active 1651 Thomas Barker

About the author

Thomas Barker, usually listed as active 1651 or fl. 1651, is remembered as the author of The Art of Angling (1651), an early English guide to fishing. Reference sources connect him especially with that book, which offers hands-on advice for catching and preparing fish and shows how seriously angling was already being treated as both skill and pastime.

Older biographical notices say he described himself as an experienced practitioner and place his origins in Shropshire. He is also often linked with the early history of fly-fishing, and his remarks were later quoted by Izaak Walton in The Compleat Angler, which helped keep Barker's name in circulation.

Very little about his life seems firmly documented beyond his book and the period in which he was active. For many readers, that adds to the appeal: he survives less as a fully known historical figure than as a clear, practical voice from the early days of English sporting writing.