It's the birthday of Izaak Walton, born on this day in 1593. An English biographer, he is best known for The Compleat Angler: Or, The Contemplative Man's Recreation (1653)—a guide to the joys of fishing—with over 300 new printings. It combines practical information about fishing with philosophy, descriptions of nature, and quotations, and continues to be one of the most popular fishing books ever written.
Walton said, "... and so, if I might be judge, God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling."