"Trout & Grayling Flies"
"Streamers & Bucktails"
"Flies For Salmon, Sea Trout, & Steelhead"
"Flies For Freshwater Predators"
"Saltwater Flies"
Each section, or chapter, gives background & historical info about the flies & an overview of how they're tied.
The usefulness of this book is that it gives the recipes for each fly shown & discuss their uses & mentions other flies that are related along with some variations that can be made to the fly for different reasons. I find this very helpful. I enjoy fishing with the old style soft-hackle wet flies & this book gives not only background info about them, but many different patterns to try. The old wet flies aren't as popular as they used to be (maybe one reason why I like them so much) & some general books about fishing flies today don't even mention them while others only discuss them briefly. This book takes the time to cover them.
If you were planing a trip somewhere to pursue fish that are strange to you, this book would help you out tremendously. Say you're going saltwater fishing for the first time. This book can help you figure out not only the flies you'll probably be using but, if you're an experienced fly tier, how to tie some up before your trip.
Published by Firefly Books Ltd. in 2009, the book itself is beautiful. Every fly discussed (over 1,300) is shown in a detailed color photograph. The paper in the book is heavy, glossy, & white so that the photos really stand out & makes it easy to see all the details of the flies photographed. Because of the thicker pages, the book is a little heavier than most books made today of the same size. I like to feel the heft of a book when I pick it up. It's one way to know it's a quality item.
Keep in mind that this is not a "how-to" book. It will not teach you how to become an accomplished fly tier. However, anyone who knows the basics of tying flies will be able to use most of the patterns in this book. There are some very intricate patterns shown that would challenge even the most experienced & skilled tiers, too. With all that being said, though, I would highly recommend this book to any fly angler. You'll never wear out it's usefulness.
HERE is a great place to buy this book.