Quite a dear book, this one, given that it is targeted at such a specialised audience that you probably already own a copy if you are a potential buyer. This 208 page book is part one of no less than a five volume series, each one of which will feature about twenty fly tyers, with a short biography of each, some background on their fly tying philosophy and illustrations of their products.

Here I am ashamed to admit that having been fly fisherman nearly all my life, I can only name about a dozen living fly tyers, so the idea of there being a hundred worth featuring in any kind of detail is a little mind-boggling.

I can’t quite get to grips with the idea that anyone would want to read one volume on the subject, let alone several, but the popularity of the fly fairs and the long queues that form in front of some of the tiers gives the lie to the idea of this series gathering dust on the shelves. Even in volume one, some of the people are a little obscure, but Hans van Klinken, Roman Moser and the Beattys are in there, so I guess the series will cover my dozen before it is done. If you can, take a look at the volumes before you buy, because the quality of the plates is a little variable, but Steve is no doubt on the case and can generally be relied upon to deliver, so I am sure that the set will be stunning.