THOUGHTS UPON HARE and FOX HUNTING: IN A SERIES OF FAMILIAR LETTERS TO A FRIEND IN WHICH ARE GIVEN DIRECTIONS FOR ERECTING A KENNEL, THE MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS, AND THE DUTIES AND QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY FOR A HUNTSMAN AND WHIPPER-IN. By Peter Beckford Esq

(1781) 1931 new edition. 8vo (130 x 211mm). Pp327. 16 colour engravings, oak-leaf and acorn motif decorative end-papers, all edges gilt, gilt dentelles. Finely bound by Sangorski and Sutcliffe in full red calf, gilt foxes mask, ruled borders and titles to upper boards, gilt ruled borders to rear board and edges of both boards, gilt decorated compartments to spine, raised bands, gilt titles to brown leather spine-label.

One of the earliest manuals on hunting, written in answer to the lack of published material on the subject. Twenty-four letters on hare, fox and stag hunting: Hunting recommended, Cervantes and the Spectator, for whom these Letters are intended; The Kennel described with all its parts; Of hounds in general; Of feeding hounds and managing them in the kennel; Of breeding hounds, and naming them; Of coupling young hounds, and breaking them from sheep; The same subject continued, hounds made handy by being taken out often, entering them at the Marten-cat recommended, entering them at Hare, censured; Of diseases and their remedies; Of the Huntsman, and Whipper-in, observations on scent; Hare-hunting described in all its parts; Hare-hunting continued; Of a hare-warren, of stag-hunting at Turin; The description of a fox-chace attempted; Remarks on the foregoing Letter; Remarks on Letter XIII; Remarks on Letter XIII still continued; A digression in favour of fox-hunting; When an excellent whipper-in may be of more use than an excellent huntsman, duty of a whipper-in, a perfect one described; How a huntsman should draw his hounds; How a huntsman should cast his hounds; A hare-hunter an improper huntsman to a pack of fox-hounds; Blood necessary to a pack of fox-hounds, the likeliest method to procure it; Bag-foxes, some objections to them; Subject concluded, some observations concerning the management of a hunter, shoeing, summer hunting objected to, hunting not so dangerous as it has been thought.