THE POINTER AND HIS PREDECESSORS. AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE POINTING DOG FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES. By William Arkwright.

(1901) 1906 2nd edition. 8vo (145 x 227mm). Ppxiv,275. B/w plates, mostly from paintings, bibliography. Red cloth titled in gilt spine and front.

"About nine years ago I said in my haste, 'I will write a complete record of the Pointer.' Ever since I have been hunting up the materials at home and abroad, and to aid the pursuit I have been obliged to learn from its commencement the language of one of the countries involved in my research. ...My fitness for writing the practical part of this book mainly depends on my having been reared literally from earliest infancy among pure pointers, though afterwards I experimented, on my own account, with the houndy ones. For my father, dying when I was but a few weeks old, left instructions that his pointers were to be preserved for me, instructing Charles Ecob his favourite keeper, to look after my sporting education. His wishes were carried out to the letter, and no child could have had a kinder or more competent tutor; and it is owing to those early years of training that I have a working knowledge of kennel-management". Chapters include: Early history; Later history; Shows and working trials; Characteristics of the pointer; Breeding and selection; Alien crosses; Shooting over dogs; Breaking; Kennel management; List of books.