FISHERS ON THE GREEN ROADS, A LIMITED EDITION BOOK BY R. B. RICKARDS, ILLUSTRATED BY REBECCA FREEAR
Price, including post & packing: CLOTH £ 45.00 (LIMITED TO 400 COPIES), LEATHER £ 135.00 (LIMITED TO 99 COPIES)

The book is claimed to be a novel, Barrie Rickards’ first novel, and indeed it is, but I more than suspect there is a great deal of autobiographical material in it, based on Barrie’s own early life.

‘Material’, what a dreadful word to use to describe the words in this book that have so obviously been written with love and passion. ‘Fishers On The Green Roads’ is a book for book lovers, not simply for book readers. It is an illustrated tome that eloquently recalls the formative years of a young angler.

The book is beautifully bound in fine cloth or leather and is lovingly illustrated throughout by Rebecca Freear.

‘Fishers On The Green Roads’ by R. B. Rickards is published by the Medlar Press and the books are available by mail order:
Phone 01691 623225. Or email books@medlarpress.

For further details please contact:
The Medlar Press Ltd
The Grange
Ellesmere
Shropshire
SY12 9DE

Phone 01691 623225, fax 01691 623227
email books@medlarpress.

FISHINGmagic VERDICT

On almost every page I found myself thinking, “oh yes, I remember that, that’s exactly how it used to be for me too!”

Memories of my own formative years came flooding back and I started to relive my own childhood, not just the angling part of it but all of it: the conkers, tree-climbing, apple scrumping, den-making and so on. The first class illustrations by Rebecca Freear were exactly right for this book, setting the mood of the time just as it was.

I enjoyed reading this book, very much so, in some way because I’ve always been a Rickard’s fan but mainly for the simple reason that it is a damn good yarn.

Some readers won’t buy this book because of the price. It is expensive, of that there is no doubt. But you have to remember that it is a limited edition and that it wasn’t written for mere book readers but for book lovers, and they will consider it well worth the price of a cheap rod – or even an expensive rod if you go for the leather bound version!

When I finished the book I found myself holding it, turning it in my hands and carefully flicking over the pages (like lovers of good books do) before carefully consigning it to the ‘best’ shelf in my library. That happens to precious few of the angling books I read.


Barrie Rickards has kindly allowed FISHINGmagic to publish a complete chapter from the book. It’s a long chapter, ‘MAC’, so we’ll publish it in four parts. The first part can be read here ‘Fishers On The Green Roads – Mac’ and subsequent parts will be published over the next three weeks.

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