This is an unreasonably pleasing book. I have absolutely zero interest in carp and yet was sorry when I finished reading it. Eddie’s fame derives from his catch of a forty pounder from Redmire – a fish which was careless enough to be caught at least eight more times, notably by Chris Yates, at which time it weighed the best part of fifty two pounds. The first part of the book consists of Eddie’s diaries, covering the years 1956 to 1959; while the second part is a ‘scrapbook’ of jottings, letters, photos, permits and anything else Eddie saw fit to save, which finally peters out in 1962. Eddie gave up fishing to all intents and purposes in 1965, so the book covers a little less than eleven years, but it is an absorbing read. More than anything else, Eddie’s character shines out – an ordinary bloke whose inventive nature spurred him on to catch big carp without there ever being any danger of him turning into an angling ‘personality’. This diary gives a tremendously personal insight into the life of a truly modest man and if you are interested in good books, do yourself a favour and get this one.