THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING: IN A SERIES OF FAMILIAR LETTERS TO A FRIEND. By Peter Beckford, Esq. The Fourth Edition.

(1781) 1802 4th edition. Large 8vo (158 x 208mm). Pp360,ills. B/w frontispiece engraving, two engravings to rear.

One of the earliest manuals on fox hunting, written in answer to the lack of published material on the subject. The first edition was published anonymously, this fourth edition bears Peter Beckford's name on the title-page as well as Beckford's Preface declaring his reasons for doing this. 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.