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

QUOTAS

A brief history of overfishing, recent attempts at controlling it, together with thoughts on stock conservation and capitalism

RACIAL THEORY

The development of thinking around herring population difference and some uncomfortable parallels with racial theories of mankind

RED HERRING

Not just a euphemism for a false trail, but a kind of smoked herring that has probably served as a euphemism for a false trail since at least the C16th

RED HERRING JOKE, THE

The story of the red herring gag shared between Shakespeare, Jonson & Nashe in at least six great literary works

RING NET: WILL MACLEAN

An interview with Scottish artist Will Maclean on his documentary exhibition, The Ring Net, which he developed between 1973 and 1978

RING NETTING

On the rise and demise of ring net fishing for herring, which originated in the waters of Loch Fyne and played a role in the sad development of overfishing

ROLLMOPS & BISMARCKS

On the popular German vinegar-based cures, together with an origin story for one of them and a basic recipe for the marinade

SALT

An 8,000 year history of salt and salt pickling, paying particular attention to the preservation of herrings by the German Hanse, the Dutch and the British.

SARDINES

The sardine in cans, on the slab and in popular culture; the limits of self-identification for herrings and non-European pilchards

SCANIA FISHERY

The story of the first great empire-shaping herring fishery together with historical and scientific speculations on its rise and its fall

SCHMALTZ HERRING

An attempted exploration of exactly what this is, despite disagreement among its advocates and loose definition amongst suppliers
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