Izaak Walton (c. 1594 – December 15, 1683) was an English writer best known as the author of The Compleat Angler. He was also the author of a collection of short biographies entitled Walton’s Lives.

He was born in Stafford, the son of an innkeeper father who died before Izaak was three, and raised by his mother and a stepfather, also an innkeeper. He settled in London and worked as an ironmonger, opening a shop in Fleet Street and becoming active in the church, where he became friends with the vicar, John Donne.  He apparently did well, retiring at age 50 and settling on a property just north of Stafford that was bordered by a small river. The Compleat Angler was published when he was 59 and ensconced in a life consisting of visits with fishing companions, collecting material for The Compleat Angler, and writing biographies of his favorite people.