Is it Veinard or Veniard? Many years ago there was a famous fly tying tools and materials business using the name Veniard. John Veniard also wrote a book, something of a text for its time, about fly tying tools and materials, which is now deservedly out of print, but can still be found and is of some value to tyers, particularly those just starting out.

And speaking of books, though tube flies had not yet been developed in her time, Helen Shaw's book on fly tying materials and techniques, though it reads with a slightly dated tone today, is still the seminal work (as it was to greats such as Eric Leiser and Poul Jorgensen who went on to write important tying handbooks themselves) on how to tie all of the basic materials properly. Dame Shaw's easy-to-understand, no-nonsense text is supplemented by her commercial-photographer husband's marvelous photos which show, close-up, the position of the hands and fingers along with the vise, materials and the tied results at each step. Her work predates such conveniences as the whip finisher, say nothing of the tube fly attachment, but it lacks for nothing in what it does cover.

And on the subject of presentation, may I complement Martin Joergensen on his beautiful photos, an example of which we see here. Wonderful!