How did Izaak Walton help establish the role of the professional biographer?

Izaak Walton is recognized as one of the first figures to approach the role of a professional biographer during the 17th century, a period characterized more by experimentation than established biographical standards.1

He helped shape the genre through his collection of five lives, which included:
* John Donne (1640)
* Sir Henry Wotton (1651)
* Richard Hooker (1665)
* George Herbert (1670)
* Robert Sanderson (1678)

Walton’s contribution to the development of the professional biographer lay in his ability to craft skillful biographical portraits. While his works often imbued his diverse subjects with his own "genteel whimsicality," his commitment to revising and perfecting these narratives demonstrated a level of dedication and literary craftsmanship that elevated the form. By producing a cohesive body of work that focused on the lives of notable figures, he moved beyond the disorganized jottings or sensational sketches common to his era, helping to establish a more structured and artistic approach to life writing.12