SPORTS AND PASTIMES OF THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND, VERY HANDSOMELY BOUND

STRUTT, Joseph. The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England; Including the Rural and Domestic Recreations… from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. London: T. Bensley for White and Co., et. al., 1810. Large quarto, contemporary full brown polished calf gilt rebacked, original elaborately gilt-decorated spine laid down, black morocco spine labels, raised bands, ornately gilt- and blind-tooled covers, gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers and edges. $1250.

Second edition of this work first published in 1801, illustrated with a frontispiece engraving and 39 engraved plates.

Strutt, antiquarian and skilled engraver, culled many of his descriptions and images from medieval manuscripts and early printed books to produce his extremely popular history of sports. Included are archery, hawking, horse racing, gambling, dancing, and cock-fighting. “In turning to the British Museum for models for his engravings [Strutt] developed that combination of text and illustration which made his antiquarian works uniquely valuable” (Kunitz & Haycraft, 499). Lowndes, 2533. Sparrow, 5.

Interior lightly foxed. A beautiful, near-fine copy.