SHOOTING. [Six fine, early colour aquatints, depicting grouse, partridge, pheasant and woodcock shooting. ] IN THE MANNER OF SAMUEL HOWITT. Publication Date: 1830. Condition: Very Good

Title: SHOOTING. [Six fine, early colour aquatints,...

Publication Date: 1830

Binding: Hardcover

Book Condition: Very Good

Edition: Illustrated Edition

Bound set of six small, contemporary, exquisitely hand-coloured aquatints. The Schwerdt copy, with his engraved armorial bookplate on the front paste-down endpaper. It contains 3 blank endpapers at the front and the back, and these are quite foxed, with pencil annotations from a bookdealer. The images with the original plate impressions are quite clean. There is a lot of loose tissue between the plates, this looks modern and was removed for photographing. Loosely inserted is an excerpt from a Sotheby's auction catalogue from 28/7/1943 listing this item as lot 103. The book measures 255 by 200mm. The images themselves are just 100 by 70mm. Bound c. 1905 in half calf with blind tooling on the edges, marbled boards and a front central burgundy marocco double gilt bordered title piece. Stamp of Riviere. Corners very slightly rubbed. This example of signed Riviere and Son fine binding was completed post-1881, because in 1881, the binding business was renamed Riviere and Son to incorporate the credentials of Percy Calkin, Riviere's grandson, as partner. But it was bound pre-1939, when the Bayntun and Rivière binderies were incorporated into a new set of premises on Manvers Street in Bath, from where the business still operates today. It was in all probability bound c.1905. The prints are in the manner of Samuel Howitt, depicting grouse, partridge, pheasant and woodcock shooting. Obviously, with no artist credited it is almost impossible to find anything about it, but I did find the sale report of a similar item. Also from the Schwerdt collection, a similar book, but slightly smaller and with the prints having no stamp impression in the paper, sold at an auctioneer named Doyle's in America for around $180. They estimated the date of that one to around 1830. Charles Francis George Richard Schwerdt (1862-1939), owner of ALRESFORD HOUSE, OLD ALRESFORD, Hampshire, was acknowledged as the worlds leading collector of hunting shooting and fishing books. When he died his vast collection of books, manuscripts, prints and drawings relating to hunting, hawking and shooting, was sold in auctions by Sothebys over a six year period- 22 May 1939-11 March 1946. The BM bought a number of the lots. See Hind's report to the Trustees 10 May 1939, and his article in BMQ XIV 1938/9, pp.12-16. The catalogue for these sales ran to four fat volumes, and today commands a price of £1,600 to £3,000 for the originals, even several hundred for reprints. His bookplate is also regarded as a badge of authenticity. This fine and unusual volume is not found in Tooley nor Abbey and is not currently available in commerce in any edition. Seller Inventory # 5136