WHERE THE TROUT STILL RISE

Van Dyke, Henry (1852–1933)

Fisherman's Luck and Some Other Uncertain Things [Margaret Armstrong Designed Bindings]

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1911.

FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE THE STREAM HOLDS MORE THAN TROUT—THE GREATEST CATCH IS NOT ALWAYS A FISH.
Originally published in 1899, Fisherman's Luck is among Henry van Dyke's most beloved collections of essays and stories celebrating the pleasures of angling, companionship, travel, and the restorative power of the natural world. Blending gentle humor with quiet reflection, Van Dyke elevates fishing beyond sport into a meditation on patience, friendship, and the enduring appeal of wild places.

This handsome Scribner edition preserves the rich production values of the publisher's early twentieth-century gift books, combining Margaret Armstrong's celebrated decorative binding with eight tipped-in color plates after paintings by F. Walter Taylor. 

A BOOK AS BEAUTIFULLY MADE AS THE STORIES IT HOLDS.
Margaret Armstrong remains among the foremost designers of American publisher's bindings, and her work for Scribner's ranks among the most recognizable examples of the Golden Age of decorated cloth. Her harmonious use of gilt and color transformed ordinary trade bindings into enduring works of decorative art.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Publisher's navy blue cloth decorated in green, lavender, black, and gilt after a design by Margaret Armstrong. Top edge gilt. Printed on laid paper. Octavo; 7.5 x 5.25 inches; [6], 3–285, [1] pages, including the index. Illustrated with eight tipped-in color plates after paintings by F. Walter Taylor; the frontispiece retains its original captioned tissue guard, as issued. Later printing, September 1911.

CONDITION: Near Fine.  The bindings are tight and square. Text is clean with light, even age-toning. Minimal shelf handling wear with only a hint of edge rubbing. The decorative binding remains bright, the top edge gilt retains an attractive sheen, and all eight tipped-in color plates are present. Several leaves in the index remain unopened, suggesting the volume saw little use. An attractive unused pictorial bookplate is affixed to the front pastedown and remains unsigned.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: LESS ABOUT CATCHING FISH THAN KEEPING COMPANY.—
Published at the height of America's sporting and conservation movement, Fisherman's Luck reflects Henry van Dyke's conviction that fishing was less about catching fish than cultivating character. His essays helped define a distinctly American tradition of sporting literature that valued contemplation, friendship, and stewardship of the natural world over competition or trophy hunting.

A Scribner Gift Book.
Charles Scribner's Sons became renowned for producing beautifully designed illustrated gift books during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The collaboration of Henry van Dyke, Margaret Armstrong, and illustrator F. Walter Taylor produced a volume admired today both for its literary charm and for its exceptional book design.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Minsky, The Art of American Book Covers, 1875–1930, p. 66.

Subjects: Henry van Dyke, Margaret Armstrong, F. Walter Taylor, American Decorated Cloth, Charles Scribner's Sons, Fishing, Nature Writing, Sporting Classics, Illustrated Books, American Literature, American Decorated Cloth, Sporting Literature, Angling, Illustrated Books.

Item #22176

Price: $85.00