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Gregg, William H. and John Gardner. WHERE, WHEN, AND HOW TO CATCH FISH ON THE EAST COAST OF
FLORIDA. Buffalo: The Matthews-Northrup Works, 1902.
303 p., 25.6 cm. Bound in red cloth with front cover illustration and spine lettering in gilt. Illustrated with
one hundred engravings and twelve colored illustrations of fish.
This is the revised version of the first edition. This copy is better than very good with no dust jacket. The book has slight shelf wear, and the spine is slightly faded.
This is a very attractive collectable copy of this classic work.
(A5-014). $400.00
Note: there are two versions of this book; the first edition and the revised edition. The book was revised by inserting an extra twenty-five pages after page 253 - from page 254 to page 278 and then continuing with the original page 255 to page 268, the last numbered page. Page 253/254 is a cancel with a tipped in page. Also, the maps are different. In the first edition the railroad terminates in Miami. In the revised edition the railroad runs all the way to Key West. Details in the map indicate it was published in about 1914. Therefore, the date on the book is wrong. It should say 1914, not 1902.
Matthews-Northrup was primarily a printer
of high quality railroad maps. The beautiful fold-out map in the back of the book of the Florida East Coast railroad
system indicates that the book was produced to promote the Flagler tourist and real estate interests. Bruns (item G-160) considers this "a work
of great and enduring importance."
Publisher's Weekly said "(Priced at $4.00, it is) Intended as a systematic guide book for anglers. Not only gives practical information about the waters of the east coast of Florida, but likewise of the structure, seasons and methods of catching the game fish of the locality."
Henry Flagler is referred to as "Uncle Henry" in this book and is involved in a most outrageous fish story: as his boat passes through the Jupiter Narrows pompanos jump out of the water into a large box on deck until it is filled to overflowing. Ah, it's enough to make a strong man cry, the stories of how the fishing was a hundred years ago in the crystal clear waters of Biscayne Bay and other Florida areas.
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