History of Hunting

THE BADGER A MONOGRAPH BY ALFRED E. PEASE, M.P. Originally published in London, 1898. Now reprinted from the extremely rare original by Read Country Books. This fascinating historical document was written at the turn of the century by avid huntsman and Member of Parliament, Alfred Pease. It is a lengthy treatise on the natural history of the badger as well a detailed work on the hunting of the animal. Pease writes in great detail about the life and habits of the badger and includes anatomical diagrams. Over half of the book is devoted to the badger as a sporting quarry. There is much discussion on techniques of hunting including dogs and equipment. There are numerous illustrations including detailed diagrams of the various excavation tools.

Records of the Cheriton Otter Hounds (History of Hunting Series) This is a high quality hard-back reprint of a classic and much sought after otter-hunting book. Originally published in 1925 and long out of print and very scarce, it covers the history of the Cheriton, and those who hunted with them, in great and intimate detail from the mid-1800s to 1925. Full of pictures and anecdotes it is a fascinating record of a past era. Published in a pictorial soft cover with 324 pages including 21 black + white photographs. List of chapters: - I: INTRODUCTORY - II: THE TAW - III: THE TEIGN - IV: THE TORRIDGE - V: THE CREEDY, KENN AND LYN - VI: MASTERS: OFFICIALS: FINANCE - VII: SPORT WITH MR CHERITON AND HIS DEPUTIES - VIII: ARTHUR HEINEMANN AND HIS PACK - IX: THE "FOX AND HOUNDS" - X: THE WAR - AND AFTER - XI: GENERAL NOTIONS - INDEX - LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.

Originally published in 1898, this rare early work on fox, hare and drag hunting is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. Read Country Books have republished it in an affordable, high quality, modern edition, using the original text and artwork. The author was a well known hunting man of his day, who also wrote several other well received hunting titles, and contributed many articles to the sporting press of that era. "Hunting Reminiscences" has two hundred and eighty eight pages containing nine entertaining chapters: - Reminiscences of the Cambridge Drag and the House of Commons Steeple Chases. - The Life of a Hunter. - Hounds. - Hare Hunting. - Fox Hunting. (two chapters) - Cub Hunting. - The Greatest Run I ever saw. - Badger Hunting with Hound and Terrier. (The author believed the badger's continued existence could only be assured by hunting him)

TERRIERS FOR SPORT (History of Hunting Series - Earth Dogs) By Pierce O'Conor. Pierce O'Conor was a highly regarded Terrier Man of his day. This, his first book, "Terriers for Sport" which was published in 1922, has never before been reprinted and only a few copies of the original still remain. Read Country Books has now republished this early work using the original text and its rare vintage terrier work photos. The book is divided into concise chapters including: Getting a Team together Fox and Badger Digging. Badger Digging. Badger Hunting at Night. Otter Hunting. Otter Dogs and their Training. Stoat Hunting. Rats and Ratting. Rabbits. Water Hens. Casualties and First Aid. Management etc. The chapters on Otter Dogs and Otter Hunting with Spears were among the earliest recorded writings on this type of terrier work. In addition, the publishers have also added a significant amount of extra material gleaned from other early writings on working terriers. There are two new chapters by distinguished dog writer Theo Marples - The Sealyham Terrier as a Sporting Companion and Symptoms + Treatment of Common Ailments - plus 3 other articles by noted sportsmen of the day - Cairns are Working Terriers, Working Terriers Past amp Present and The Hunt Terrier Man and His Dogs. The book also contains a large number of B+W photos of terriers and terriermen that have never been reprinted before. Pierce O'Conor's wealth of knowledge and experience shines through the pages of this fascinating book which deserves a place on any true terrier man's shelf. N.B. The author has written two working terrier books, and this title should not be confused with his other book :- "Sporting Terriers. History, Training and Management." which was published in 1926. "Terriers For Sport" is available in a quality soft cover format.

WORKING TERRIERS, BADGERS and BADGER DIGGING By H.H. King. This title was first published in 1931 and is now an extremely rare and sought after item in its first edition. It is now available again to all true terrier men in a revised edition published by Read Country Books. This new edition incorporates the original format plus 20 extra pages containing articles and vintage photos on the same subject. Its 130 pages of historical content contain much detailed information on the working terrier and its use in what was once an acceptable and legal field sport. The first section of the book is devoted to the Working Terrier. The author discusses the qualities and physical attributes that constitute a first class worker. He writes sensibly and with a confidence born from years of practical experience. This section then leads into a chapter of advice on the early training of terriers with much emphasis on the natural progression of their learning curve. This training period also entails the hunting of, and entering to, the rat, fox, and otter. A short chapter deals with the natural history and habits of the badger, then continues at some length with the methods and equipment used in the actual dig. The author points out that the terms 'badger-digging' and 'badger-baiting' should not be considered synonymous. In his opinion, 'If properly conducted, badger-digging is no more cruel a sport than shooting or ratting'. The final chapter is a comprehensive discourse on the care and handling of the Working Terrier. Following that are two rare articles, never before reprinted - 'HUNTING BROCK THE BADGER' by J.C. Bristow-Noble (author of Working Terriers) and 'THE BADGERS OF BADGWORTHY'. They both contain much interesting information and many original, vintage photographs. The book is a fascinating look back at a vanished time and an excellent manual on the working terrier, with much information that is still of practical use today.

This is one of the few early 20th century dog books to deal solely with the true `Working Terrier'. J.C. Bristow-Noble was well known in his time as a breeder of top quality sporting terriers. He spent many years experimenting with cross-breeding Fox terriers and Sealyhams with other dog breeds and occasionally with famous mongrel terriers, before finally concentrating on Jack Russell terriers, always keeping the description of Russell's famous 'Trump' in his mind's eye. His ideal sporting terrier for entering to badger, fox and other quarry was a thick-set 14 pound, hard/dense coated dog with a muzzle of moderate length and an even and fairly thick jaw bone. This rule of thumb eventually led to him owning a kennel of working dogs second to none and well-known throughout the country. His terriers were regularly sold for sums in excess of 50.00, an enormous sum of money in the early 1900s. His stud dogs were also much in demand even at his minimum stud fee of 10 guineas.