Oxford University Press has just published a new edition of Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler edited by Marjorie Swann, Associate Professor of English at SMU.  Written in response to the political and environmental devastation of the English Civil War, The Compleat Angler explores how men might create a new society through their shared experience and stewardship of the natural world.  Since it was first published in 1653, generations of readers around the world have found Walton’s message compelling, and The Compleat Angler has become one of the most frequently reprinted books in the English language.  Professor Swann’s new edition is the first to examine Walton’s work through the lens of ecocriticism, and her introduction and notes offer readers new insights into the book’s intersections with environmental and social history.  You’ll find a description of the new edition here – http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199650743.do  – and a related post (featuring photos by Dedman College’s Dean Bill Tsutsui) on OUPblog here:  http://blog.oup.com/2014/02/fishing-with-izaak-walton-compleat-angler/ .