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delkins wrote:

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The book I've always wanted but had never read.

It's the wet fly fishing bible, AFAIAC.

I find his writing style to be a bit amateur-ish,
but the content is rock-solid.

It always amazes me how nothing is really new in fly fishing.

I disagree.
There's quite a lot in fly fishing that is really new.
But most often I find that "new" is $$$, but not necessarily any better.
And some of the really good old things are forgotten.
Take Ray's description of fly floatant in that book:
paraffin wax and naptha
You'll never find that for sale on the shelf today,
(except for maybe in Better's shop, I hear...)
but it works better than any commercially available floatant that I've ever tried.*
Or take Wet flies in general.
Not many folks fish them anymore,
opting instead for a nymph and indicator when fishing sub-surface.

I received this book as a gift, last Fall,
and spent the Winter reading it and tying and experimenting with the wet flies
listed on the plates.
Now, trying out the patterns in that book, and landing fish on them;
has been quite a lot of fun this Spring.

* to be fair, I've only ever tried 2, before discovering the paraffin mixture:
"Gink" and some spray-on product by Loon Outdoors. Gink was very good.
But the paraffin mixture is significantly better.