Buying angling books? Are they in decline?

no-one in particular · May 21, 2015

With so much on the internet and more and more people learning how to use it every day; does anyone bother buying angling books anymore? Ytube and videos of just about everything under the sun and forums where you can find out just about anything; does anyone bother writing a good angling book now; are fewer being produced.
I always see them in junk shops but, they are all old, mainly pre the internet age. Apart from the odd specialist book, for example Mark Wintle's "Big Roach", a exception to the modern norm; is there any market for books.
If you do buy a book, do you download using something like Kindle rather than buy the real thing. When I was young and you wanted to learn something , you bought a book about it, nowadays all a youngster has to do is ask on a forum or type it into Google.
Some of my old angling books are a thing of joy, well written, well thought out and nothing quite matches them on the internet where things are generally quickly expressed, not much thought given to how well they are written or presented with little thought to any aesthetic pleasure to the reader. Not complaining, and its not always the rule however, are angling books dead, a thing of the past. And if so, is it a loss?

hyperdrive · May 21, 2015

All my angling books like yours are old and one or two of them are quite good and if I came across an appealing one I might buy another one day. For new information I will generally get it from current magazines or the internet.

For books in general I do read novels and much prefer to buy a book than use an electronic source. I did buy a few books for my ipad (6 if I remember correctly) but only read about 3 of them before going back to the good old paperback.
Both my sons were brought up in this internet age, my youngest doesn't really read except for educational purposes to help him with his A levels and that is a mix of internet and books (but probably more the electronic version), I think this mix will continue when he goes to university later this year.

My eldest son who is at university uses a mix of proper books and internet for his studies, however he does do some leisure reading and will buy a paperback, preferring it to reading an electronic version

So are books dead, no I don't think so, for non fiction maybe it depends on the subject matter to how much will be available. Technology advancing will keep new books being written, for the art of fishing, perhaps not enough has changed to make someone think they could write a better book than some of the old ones available.

Bob Hornegold · May 21, 2015

Funny thing about books, my Mrs use to read a couple of book a week, then she got a Kindle and said last night that she had gone off reading because the Kindle does not have the feel of a book.

That; what's on the next page feeling ?

I have loads of fishing books, but there are only a few modern books I really like, A Fool and his Eel, Red Letter Days, Carp Life, While my Float's still Cocked, The Perch Book, are some of my favourites .

Too many publishers and too many books.

Bob

Keith M · May 21, 2015

I think you are right as far as general 'How to Fish books' are concerned Mark.

There's so much live info available on the net today from Forums and other web sites and Kindle etc. if an angler just wants to know 'general how to fish info' or info about different venues then he can find this info quickly and easily on the web, and also be fairly sure that it's up to date too (or more up to date than a lot of how to fish books are anyway).

However I still think there's a market for 'Non How to Fish books' where the writer describes their fishing experiences and tales, or for 'species specific books' containing more in depth info for anglers who want to know more about a particular species in depth written by a well respected angler.

I have many dozens of angling related books but most of them are not 'How to Fish' books, (even my Chris Yates 'How to Fish book' is not a 'How to fish book' LOL).

Books like 'Confessions of a Carp Fisher by BB' and 'Walkers Pitch, a compilation of articles by RIchard Walker' and 'The River Prince by Chris Yates' and 'Big Roach by Mark Wintle' etc. are all still a joy to read on a cold winters night in front of a nice warm fire.

Keith

chav professor · May 21, 2015

markg said:
With so much on the internet and more and more people learning how to use it every day; does anyone bother buying angling books anymore? Ytube and videos of just about everything under the sun and forums where you can find out just about anything; does anyone bother writing a good angling book now; are fewer being produced.
I always see them in junk shops but, they are all old, mainly pre the internet age. Apart from the odd specialist book, for example Mark Wintle's "Big Roach", a exception to the modern norm; is there any market for books.
If you do buy a book, do you download using something like Kindle rather than buy the real thing. When I was young and you wanted to learn something , you bought a book about it, nowadays all a youngster has to do is ask on a forum or type it into Google.
Some of my old angling books are a thing of joy, well written, well thought out and nothing quite matches them on the internet where things are generally quickly expressed, not much thought given to how well they are written or presented with little thought to any aesthetic pleasure to the reader. Not complaining, and its not always the rule however, are angling books dead, a thing of the past. And if so, is it a loss?

A word of warning.... there are some instant experts that generate a lot of dross on the internet and pass it off as sound advice.

Books have a certain degree of peer review. The best ones stand out....

Like wise, if you are new to angling - or in-deed, still open to improving... Fishing magazines contain a gem or two of wisdom.

Also, as times change, tastes do also... I now prefer to read books written by authors that engage in the spirit of our wonderful pastime. Its a great medium to write about - were basically nutcases and passionate individuals

john step · May 21, 2015

I prefer the paper version. You can put it down and come back easily

Also I find the width of the page size better.

I must admit to ignoring the large poorly paragraphed ramblings I see on this forum.

By the end of a long line of print my eyes have wandered and I lose which line I am reading.

Don't get me going on the...was/were fink /fort their/there andtheramblingswithno punctuationand alckoffullstopsandcapitallettersetcetc

greenie62 · May 21, 2015

john step said:
I prefer the paper version....

Snap! - You missed out the other great advantage of paper books - you can throw them across the room in a fit of pique/disgust - without too much damage to the rest of the house!

My 85-yr old Mam reckons the greatest advances in personal computing have been marked by the ease with which one can destroy devices when annoyed by them - the Kindle has had it already!

mg:

sumtime · May 21, 2015

john step said:
I prefer the paper version. You can put it down and come back easily

Also I find the width of the page size better.

I must admit to ignoring the large poorly paragraphed ramblings I see on this forum.

By the end of a long line of print my eyes have wandered and I lose which line I am reading.

Don't get me going on the...was/were fink /fort their/there andtheramblingswithno punctuationand alckoffullstopsandcapitallettersetcetc

In full agreement here, John, we were taught to use paragraphs at school, much easier on the eye. If I don't see a post paragraphed, I mostly don't read it, no offence chaps.

S-Kippy · May 21, 2015

Books for ever !

I tried a kindle and it was utterly souless.Fortunately it was just on loan & went back double sharp.

I agree that for "how to do it" sort of stuff the Internet is a fabulous tool provided [as Christian says] you watch out for the instant experts. To own & read proper angling books knocks web browsing into a cocked hat but they must be "proper" books ie hardbacks. The only paperback angling books I own are ones where the hardback was either unobtainable or ridiculously priced.Mrs S wont agree but I love the look of the bookcase that contains all my best boys....along with the odd vintage reel !

I read a lot of novels too. Historical stuff mainly and again I much prefer the feel of a book though always paperback. I cannot see the point of shelling out for a novel or story in hardback format. It can drive me nuts waiting for the next in a series to be published in paperback format but I've always resisted.

Are they in decline ? Yes I think they are because the sort of person that buys an angling book is in decline too. People of a certain vintage that served a long apprenticeship and is a competent all rounder. Like me...and probably you too. The generalist coarse angler is a dying species I'm afraid.

Keith M · May 21, 2015

sumtime said:
In full agreement here, John, we were taught to use paragraphs at school, much easier on the eye. If I don't see a post paragraphed, I mostly don't read it, no offence chaps.

Same here, if it's not in easily read paragraphs, with a blank line between each paragraph I usually don't try to read it either; it's too much hard work; especially if you need to look away then have to search for where you left off again afterwards.

I was not a brilliant scholar by any means; being in the 'Could do better' class; but this was a basic concept when I was at school.

Keith

terry m · May 21, 2015

Like others have said, books are still long term, especially the specialist genre.

I fly every week, sometimes more frequently, but I refuse to have a kindle for the reasons stated above. It is soulless, and sterile.

I adore that books are tactile, and no mater what screen resolution you conjure up, a kindle will never replace the glorious vision and feeling of high quality full colour plates.

Use your kindle to stop the kitchen table wobbling!!

Mark Wintle · May 21, 2015

Book sales continue to decline, a sad fact of life, though it may yet turn the corner. Give me a book any day over Kindle. Low sales have other effects; selling enough to cover costs becomes ever more difficult and plenty of fishing book writers seem willing to accept little or no return, cutting costs means a lack of editing.

Big roach sold out a reprint and its sequel is selling steadily but unlikely to go to reprint so may all be gone by next year. I'm just finishing writing a biography of Ivan Marks and the Likely Lads which has been great fun but may be the last book I attempt though knowing myself I will somehow start another one in a couple of years' time. Getting one book out there was amazing but six....

Ray Roberts · May 21, 2015

Skippy you are a self confessed Luddite. I love the Kindle, I have the Paperwhite version and wouldn't be without it.

It's not so good for books with diagrams, but for reading it's top notch. It can be read in bright sunlight and in the dark. It is even possible to look up words you haven't seen before. You can get most books from anywhere in the world and many for free.

As for losing you place in the book, well that doesn't happen, even if you are reading several simultaneously. I really don't see what's not to like.

Keith M · May 21, 2015

I do have one fishing book on my Kindle (Top Tactics for Big Barbel by Tony Miles) but the diagrams and photos are a joke the way Kindle displays them.

Which is one reason why I think printed fishing books are generally much better than Kindle based ones.

Kindle books are usually cheaper but often suffer from not being as good for displaying diagrams and pictures within the text (which is usually fairly important in angling books) and a lot of Kindle books also seem to suffer from very poor Proof reading (given the amount of basic mis-spelling that I've often seen in Kindle books).

Keith

Tee-Cee · May 21, 2015

I'm ' old school ' around books and buy them on an irregular basis depending on what takes my fancy. I like to buy hard cover as I really enjoy the ' feel ' of them...

The last book I bought was ' Where the Bright Waters Meet ' by H. Plunket-Greene, written around the turn of the 20th century and reprinted by Medlar Press. Only cost £8 on offer and worth every penny !

No, kindle is fine for many, judging by how many I see on Trains etc. but not for me......

S-Kippy · May 21, 2015

Ray Roberts said:
Skippy you are a self confessed Luddite. I love the Kindle, I have the Paperwhite version and wouldn't be without it.

It's not so good for books with diagrams, but for reading it's top notch. It can be read in bright sunlight and in the dark. It is even possible to look up words you haven't seen before. You can get most books from anywhere in the world and many for free.

As for losing you place in the book, well that doesn't happen, even if you are reading several simultaneously. I really don't see what's not to like.

Depends what a book is to you Ray. To me its not just something to be read. Its a thing in its own right that I personally love the look and feel of. A really nice book is just a lovely thing to own.

Kindles are ok for novels & stories but tbh the paperbacks I like are often cheaper and once Im done they go to the Charity shop.

And books dont break,freeze,run out or get nicked.

sam vimes · May 21, 2015

I'm an avid reader, but rarely of angling books. I'm past the basic instruction manual types and many of the "I was here, I did this and I caught this" type leave me cold. However, I have to confess that the odd one like that have put me off them all. I'm sure there must be some gems amongst the dross.

I did read BB's Confessions in the last year or two, it was OK, but not the wondrous tome I was expecting. I rather enjoyed one of Tref West's books, but the name of it escapes me. The biggest put off for me is the distinct disconnect I feel compared to my angling. I may as well be reading about fishing on mars.

This probably partly explains why I have enjoyed John Aston's angling books. I know some of the places he talks about, I know the author, a little, and it's all relateable. They definitely aren't instruction manuals and there's not much of the "I caught this" stuff.

As for Kindle's versus books. I love real books, I collect quite a few authors and have more hardbacks than is sensible. I resisted Kindles for a fair while. However, a tour of the Falklands made me bite the bullet. I read about forty novels down there, including the entire Sharpe series, it kept me sane. I still love and buy many real books, but I'd not be without a Kindle.

nicepix · May 21, 2015

I'm a Kindle convert. But in the main the fishing books available on Kindle tend to fall into two categories; the absolutely awful and the utterly expensive. But for general reading it is Kindle all the way for me.

S-Kippy · May 21, 2015

Ive said this before but the trouble with a lot of angling books is that the best anglers are often pretty lousy writers & the best writers pretty lousy anglers. I cannot abide "how to do it" books....what I want is something that captures the essence of what it is to be out there and fishing.

And that looks good on my bedside table or in my bookcase.

nicepix · May 21, 2015

S-Kippy said:
Ive said this before but the trouble with a lot of angling books is that the best anglers are often pretty lousy writers & the best writers pretty lousy anglers. I cannot abide "how to do it" books....what I want is something that captures the essence of what it is to be out there and fishing.

And that looks good on my bedside table or in my bookcase.

Zane Grey, John Gierach and good old Arthur Ransome should fit that bill.

Buying angling books? Are they in decline?

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