Rural Sports; Four Extra Illustrated Volumes with Supplement
London: Printed For The Author by Thomas Davison, Whitefriars, 1805-13. Enlarged and Best Edition. Four Volumes. Extra Illustrated, Large Paper Edition. Imperial Quarto. 35cm. Bound in early 20th century full deep tan morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, titled and decorated in gilt to spines, gilt ruling to boards, gilt inner dentelles. 467pp.;[6] Index; 436pp.;[7] Index; 367pp.;[44] General Index; [8]; 507pp.; [1]; [24] Index.
Complete in all respects with 72 colored plates, 2 uncolored, and 5 plates in the Supplement volume. Additonally there are a further 22 "extra" fine engravings by John Scott (21 of which are proofs before letters), and 6 rare aquatints by Thomas Medford.
Tall, strong and handsome, very little wear at all save for some minor scuffing and rubbing to extremities, Vol IV, (the Supplement) has some sunning and staining to the front board, mild darkening to the spines, gilt bright; internally clean and fresh, plain green endpapers, leather bookplate to front pastedown, top edges gilt, all others untrimmed, large margins, some very occasional spotting and thumbing. A near fine, sumptuously bound, extra-illustrated set of a significantly influential piece of early 19th century sporting literature.
First published in two rather meagre volumes in 1801 to considerable approval, before being greatly expanded for this 1805 edition (widely described in bibliographic circles as the "Best" edition), with the supplemental volume being published in 1813. The supplement contains an 8pp. Subscriber's list to the front. The bookplate is that of Alfred Barmore Maclay, a leading light in US equestrian circles, and a wealthy and avid collector of books on sporting in general, and horses in particular. Vol I is a general treatise on hunting, Vol II is entirely concerned with fishing and angling, with Vol II covering the realm of Fowling, the supplemental volume contains much general observation on the breeding of dogs and other animals. A mammoth exploit on the part of Rev. Daniel, attempting very much to be for the wider world of hunting what Izaak Walton's Compleat Angler was to fishing, containing every possible shred of information from best practices to the geography of British hunting, and a wealth of anecdotal information for the enthusiast. Laid in at the front is a catalog description from Ernest R. Gee (the pre-eminent mid-century US dealer in sporting works) describing the finer points of the work, describing it as "excessively rare", and with Gee's initialled collation marks to the prelims. A splendid copy of an already desirable work.
Price: $7,500.00