author
Izaak Walton
1593–1683
Best known for The Compleat Angler, this 17th-century English writer brought fishing, friendship, and quiet observation into one of the most enduring books in English prose. He also helped shape early biography through warmly drawn lives of figures such as John Donne and George Herbert.
4 Audiobooks
The Complete Angler 1653
by Izaak Walton
Waltoniana: Inedited Remains in Verse and Prose of Izaak Walton
by Izaak Walton
The Compleat Angler
by Izaak Walton
About the author
Born in 1593 in Stafford, Izaak Walton later built a successful life in London before becoming celebrated as a writer. He is most closely associated with The Compleat Angler, first published in 1653, a book that blends practical advice about fishing with conversation, reflection, and a deep pleasure in the natural world.
Walton also wrote a series of short biographies, including lives of John Donne, Sir Henry Wotton, Richard Hooker, George Herbert, and Robert Sanderson. These works helped establish his reputation as one of the early masters of English biographical writing, admired for a style that feels personal, gentle, and full of character.
He died in 1683, but his work has lasted for centuries because it offers more than information: it offers company. Readers still return to Walton for his calm voice, his affection for ordinary pleasures, and the sense that books and friendship belong naturally together.