The National Book League was a precursor to the current Booktrust, and was set up in 1924 by the Society of Bookmen in order to promote reading, particularly among the young. To that end, the NBL issued Reader's Guides on a variety of subjects, each written by an author with expertise in that field and containing an annotated bibliography of recommended titles on the subject. Arthur Ransome was a keen fisherman as well as a famous children's author, and fishing and other outdoor pursuits feature often in his books. This Reader's Guide was published in 1955 and features Ransome's recommendations for books on fishing, broken down by varieties of fish and fishing practices.