Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring

aka The Herripedia

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Rigby's Encyclopaedia of the Herring

AND NOW THE BOOK!

Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring

Adventures with the King of Fishes

Out September 25th 2025, hardback, published by Hurst, 450pp + 32 colour, a snip at £25. Preorder online or from your local independent bookshop. Based on the blog entries here and plenty more besides, rewritten, corrected and developed, it’s the book you know you’ve always wanted!

ONLINE ENCYCLOPAEDIA

Accessible alphabetically and by theme – history, science, culture, fishing and food.

Suggestions and corrections always welcome.

PODCASTS

Drawing on the encyclopaedia and exploring beginnings, sovereignty and sardines, fasting and fisher lasses.

All Podcasts…

Recently Added

A-Z Entries

NAMES OF THE HERRING

The words for herring listed by language in alphabetical order with room for additions if anyone would like to send them

NASHES LENTEN STUFFE

A brief account of the writing of Thomas Nash's extraordinary late C16th work; its scurrilous red herring origin story extracted in full

NEUCRANTZ: ON HERRING (1654)

Including a complete, illustrated translation of Paul Neucrantz' C17th treatise on the herring together with notes on his sources

OATMEAL

The classic way with fried herring, together with recipe variations and some thoughts on just why oatmeal provides the perfect coating

OLIVIER, LAURENCE

The true story of Sir Laurence Olivier's heroic campaign to save the kippers on the Pullman Car breakfast menu of the Brighton Belle

OTOLITHS & SCALES

On the use of growth rings in either to calculate a herring's age, together with details of the research pioneers who first used them

PARA HANDY

Including the full text of Neil Munro's Para Handy story, The Herring - A Gossip

PICKELHERING

The use of the name by C16th English slapstick clowns, out of fashion at home, unable to speak the languages of the countries where they laughed

PROPHETIC HERRINGS

On the strange markings discovered on two herrings and their possible connection with the death of Denmark's Frederick II five months later

PURSE SEINING

The development, efficiencies and impacts of the purse seine net for herring fishing (other fish, of course, also apply)
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