Oriental Field Sports; Being a Complete, Detailed and Accurate Description of the Wild Sports of the East

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Contains one of the finest series of sporting plates ever published (Hardie). 1st edition, 41 hand coloured aquatints. In half brown morocco over light green cloth, by Bayntun Riviere of Bath, some gilt tooling, edges rubbed. Spine, raised bands, gilt tooling & titles. Internally, additional hand coloured title page, [4] tp & dedication, (ii) preface, 150 pp (includes index), [1] pl list, plus 40 fine hand coloured plates by H. Merke after Howitt and Williamson, dated 1805-7, watermarked J Whatman 1804, with the early pl 31 Hunting Jackalls, floral endpapers, a.e.g., occasional light marginal spotting. Large oblong folio. (book 462*600 & sheets 447*572 mm). Abbey Travel 427; Schwerdt II, pp. 297-98; Tooley 508. "The most beautiful book on Indian sport in existence." (Schwerdt). "The book is not only a mine of information as to the manners, customs, scenery, and costume of India, but contains one of the finest series of sporting plates ever published." (Martin Hardie, English Coloured Books, 1906). A very good copy with the plates generally clean and bright. The first edition of 1807 in large folio, with the early watermarks, and first state of plate XXXI (Hunting Jackalls). The work had been issued for subscribers in twenty monthly parts between June 1805 and January 1807. Title continues: and exhibiting, in a novel and interesting manner, the natural history of the elephant, the rhinoceros, the tiger, the leopard, the bear, the deer, the buffalo, the wolf, the wild hog, the jackall, the wild dog, the civet, and other undomesticated animals: As likewise the different species of feathered game, fishes, and serpents / the whole interspersed with a variety of original, authentic, and curious anecdotes, taken from the manuscript and designs of Captain Thomas Williamson, who served upward of twenty years in Bengal; the drawings by Samuel Howett, made uniform in size, and engraved by the first artists.