author
William Radcliffe
1856–1938
Best known for a richly researched history of angling, this early 20th-century writer explored how fishing appeared in ancient literature, art, and daily life. His work still stands out for the way it blends scholarship with the enthusiasm of a lifelong fisherman.
1 Audiobook
Fishing from the Earliest Times
by William Radcliffe
About the author
William Radcliffe (1856–1938) is chiefly remembered for Fishing from the Earliest Times, a substantial study first published in 1921. Library and catalog records consistently identify him with that book, which traces the history of fishing through classical and other ancient sources.
The book presents him not simply as a compiler, but as someone deeply interested in the culture and practice of angling. Contemporary editions describe the work as an attempt to examine ancient writing on fishing from the viewpoint of a practical fish-culturist and lifelong angler, which helps explain its mix of historical detail and firsthand enthusiasm.
Very little easily verifiable biographical information about his wider life appears in the reliable sources available here. Even so, his reputation as an author has lasted through reprints, digital editions, and continued interest from fishing historians and readers drawn to unusual corners of social and literary history.