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Izaak Walton

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Author

The Resume

    (August 9, 1593-December 15, 1683)
    Born in Stafford, England, United Kingdom
    Best known for 'The Compleat Angler' (1653)

Why he might be annoying:

    Little is known about his youth.
    Little is known about his last years either.
    'The Compleat Angler' borrows material from other authors.
    Discussing using frogs as bait, he wrote 'Use him as though you loved him' -- immediately after describing how to put a hook though its mouth and sew its leg to the hook. (I guess he was a believer in 'tough love.')
    As one of the brothers in 'A River Runs Through It' notes, 'The bastard doesn't even know how to spell 'complete.' '

Why he might not be annoying:

    All seven of the children he had with his first wife died in infancy.
    In his will, he left his property in Staffordshire for the benefit of the poor in his hometown.
    The Encyclopedia of World Biography described him as 'a kindly and religious man with a quiet sense of humor and rare common sense.'
    'The Compleat Angler' is said to be the most reprinted book in Britain after the Bible and the collected works of Shakespeare.
    Charles Lamb said of 'The Compleat Angler,' 'It breathes the very spirit of innocence, purity, and simplicity of the heart... It would sweeten a man's temper at any time to read it.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying