by Fred Buller
A quick note about book collecting. Quality + Rarity = ££££££
Many people seem to think that rarity is the most important factor in the high prices of some second-hand books. In my mind that is simply not the case. Quality plays an enormous part in the equation. Crap rare books can be worth quite a small amount as only serious book collectors (I must have everything!!! types) want them to be taking up valuable space on the shelf. Books with excellent content will hold their value better even if they aren't anywhere near as rare as others, this is simply because everyone wants to buy them.
Apologies if that seems a little patronising but the amount of times I've heard "...but only 300 copies were printed. I'll buy a dozen and retire off the proceeds!" meant I wanted to put that myth to bed. If you're looking for a good investment then make sure it's a good book in the first place.
Fred Buller's 'Domesday Book of Mammoth Pike' fits the bill perfectly. It is relatively rare (though not especially) and it is a good book. Well actually it's a great book. Unfortunately if you don't own one already then I'm afraid you've missed the boat on searching out a good investment as nowadays they command a pretty high price. A signed hardback in excellent nick will set you back the best part of £600. Paperbacks can be got a fair bit cheaper.
What makes it great? Well the amount of time and effort that must have gone into the research of this book is simply astounding. Buller has compiled a record of 230 pike caught over the past 250 years. Each one of which was over 35lbs in weight. The biggest pike in the book? Well you'll have to get hold of a copy and find out for yourself.
This could have been written as a rather dry list but thankfully it has been fleshed out quite a bit. Each entry has as many details of the capture as the author could gather and most have a good back story too.
There are several criticisms of this book. The first of which is that a great deal of the content is a work of fiction. Well this is almost certainly true. Stories of Irish pike weighing 90lbs+ are a little hard to believe. The author has included them though so that the reader can make up his own mind. In a lot of cases it is of course very hard to prove either way the true weight of a pike. Take for example entry number 42 - Tommy Morgan's Scottish record pike of 47lb 11oz. A fish which to this day provokes heated debate from believers and disbelievers. Read the book through but do take some of the entries with a pinch of salt.
The second criticism is that Buller has included ALL pike no matter how they were caught. This includes fish that have been caught illegally, netted or found dead. I can't understand this train of thought. I see this book as a record of the potential size that pike can attain. It matters little to me whether the fish was caught on rod and line or found washed up dead on the bank. Simply to know that a 40lb pike once existed in a river or lake not too far from me is all I want. Stories of fish like these are what get me out of bed and out fishing despite the wind and rain lashing against the window on a cold February day.
The final criticism is that every pike photographed is dead. I can't really defend that other than to say that's what happened in those days. The book was published in 1979 and at that time and before, catch and release of pike just didn't happen. If you don't like pictures of dead pike then don't buy it. It didn't put me off though.
All in all, Fred Buller has created arguably the most inspiring collection of big pike stories ever put together, before or since. A copy of this should be on the shelf of every serious piker as well as those who just like a good read.
Coch Y Bonddu Books regularly have copies of the hardback and paperback editions available.
First published in 1979 by Stanley Paul & Co. Printed simultaneously in both hardback and paperback.
Click here to go back to the list of all reviews.
Many people seem to think that rarity is the most important factor in the high prices of some second-hand books. In my mind that is simply not the case. Quality plays an enormous part in the equation. Crap rare books can be worth quite a small amount as only serious book collectors (I must have everything!!! types) want them to be taking up valuable space on the shelf. Books with excellent content will hold their value better even if they aren't anywhere near as rare as others, this is simply because everyone wants to buy them.
Apologies if that seems a little patronising but the amount of times I've heard "...but only 300 copies were printed. I'll buy a dozen and retire off the proceeds!" meant I wanted to put that myth to bed. If you're looking for a good investment then make sure it's a good book in the first place.
Fred Buller's 'Domesday Book of Mammoth Pike' fits the bill perfectly. It is relatively rare (though not especially) and it is a good book. Well actually it's a great book. Unfortunately if you don't own one already then I'm afraid you've missed the boat on searching out a good investment as nowadays they command a pretty high price. A signed hardback in excellent nick will set you back the best part of £600. Paperbacks can be got a fair bit cheaper.
What makes it great? Well the amount of time and effort that must have gone into the research of this book is simply astounding. Buller has compiled a record of 230 pike caught over the past 250 years. Each one of which was over 35lbs in weight. The biggest pike in the book? Well you'll have to get hold of a copy and find out for yourself.
This could have been written as a rather dry list but thankfully it has been fleshed out quite a bit. Each entry has as many details of the capture as the author could gather and most have a good back story too.
There are several criticisms of this book. The first of which is that a great deal of the content is a work of fiction. Well this is almost certainly true. Stories of Irish pike weighing 90lbs+ are a little hard to believe. The author has included them though so that the reader can make up his own mind. In a lot of cases it is of course very hard to prove either way the true weight of a pike. Take for example entry number 42 - Tommy Morgan's Scottish record pike of 47lb 11oz. A fish which to this day provokes heated debate from believers and disbelievers. Read the book through but do take some of the entries with a pinch of salt.
The second criticism is that Buller has included ALL pike no matter how they were caught. This includes fish that have been caught illegally, netted or found dead. I can't understand this train of thought. I see this book as a record of the potential size that pike can attain. It matters little to me whether the fish was caught on rod and line or found washed up dead on the bank. Simply to know that a 40lb pike once existed in a river or lake not too far from me is all I want. Stories of fish like these are what get me out of bed and out fishing despite the wind and rain lashing against the window on a cold February day.
The final criticism is that every pike photographed is dead. I can't really defend that other than to say that's what happened in those days. The book was published in 1979 and at that time and before, catch and release of pike just didn't happen. If you don't like pictures of dead pike then don't buy it. It didn't put me off though.
All in all, Fred Buller has created arguably the most inspiring collection of big pike stories ever put together, before or since. A copy of this should be on the shelf of every serious piker as well as those who just like a good read.
Coch Y Bonddu Books regularly have copies of the hardback and paperback editions available.
First published in 1979 by Stanley Paul & Co. Printed simultaneously in both hardback and paperback.
Click here to go back to the list of all reviews.
Will there ever be a second edition,l and l think many pike mad fishermen would like to own a copy even if it is a second edition.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine there is going to be a second edition coming anytime soon. Paperbacks are the only realistic option for most of us. I will get a hardback for my collection one day but for now a paperback is good enough for me. Good luck with tracking down a copy.
DeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI have a 1st edition in excellent condition never been read.
Only issue is that my wife at the time had a personal library press and used it on a couple of pages.lm looking to sell the book what's your thoughts.
Kind Regards Terry