Beschreibung:

Property from the Sporting and Travel Library of Arnold "Jake" Johnson WILLIAMSON, CAPTAIN THOMAS Oriental Field Sports: Being a Complete, Detailed, and Accurate of the Wild Sports of the East. London: Printed by William Bulmer for Edward Orme 1807 Large oblong folio (22 3/8 x 18 in.; 568 x 455 mm). Additional hand-colored title (watermarked 1802), 40 hand-colored aquatint plates (watermarked 1804) on india paper; closed tears to additional title, repaired and not affecting image, some minor foxing infrequently affecting images (primarily plates VII, XXII, XXV, XXVII), in this copy plate XXXI is in Tooley's presumed first state, titled "Hunting Jackalls" rather than "Jackals Rescuing a Hunted Brother," and with plates XIII and XIV numbered in reverse order. Half brown calf over cloth and marbled boards, gilt dentelles to inner margins of calf, red morocco label with decorative boarder and text in gilt, spine with raised bands in six compartments with repeat overall decorations in gilt, marbled endpapers, edges stained red; corners bumped, upper joint beginning to split. First edition of "the most beautiful book on Indian sporting in existence" (Schwerdt). The text is taken from the manuscript and designs of Captain Thomas Williamson who served in Bengal for twenty years. Bound from the 20 original parts and containing 'the finest impressions of the plates' (Tooley) by H. Merke J. Hamble and Viveres after Howitt's drawings after Williamson. REFERENCE: Abbey, Travel 427; Czech, Asia p.228; Schwerdt II: 297; Tooley (1954) 508 PROVENANCE: Eston Nelson Library (ticket to front pastedown)