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Travers' Golf Book -
Jerome D. Travers
1913 - The Macmillan Company, New York - First Edition
A fine first edition of the first book by this golfing legend, illustrated with a colour frontispiece and 46 black and white photographic plates. A combination of autobiography and instructional.
‘Although he was of slight stature, Travers dominated golf in the decade before World War I with his stunning iron shots and expert putting. He won many tournaments because of his calm temperament, patience, and ability to make precise shots. He won the United States Amateur in 1907, 1908, 1912, and 1913, and was runner-up in 1914. His victory in 1913 set a record for that tournament – not broken until Bobby Jones won it five times. He was among the first members of the Golf Hall of Fame established by the United States Golf Association’. [DAB]
‘Some of the words used to describe Jerry Travers have not been kind – cold, somber, ruthless – yet these were the qualities that made him the most feared golfer of his time. In a nine-year stretch from 1906-1915, Travers won four U.S. Amateurs, five Metropolitan Amateurs and a U.S. Open. Only Bob Jones won more amateur titles and Travers was one of only five amateurs to win the Open. And his battles with Walter Travis, in the words of Herbert Warren Wind, “formed the crucible in which a talented young golfer was made into the greatest match player of his decade”‘. [World Golf Hall of Fame]
And in 1915 at the age of 28, Travers ended his championship career.
More details
Price HK$ 7,000
1913 - The Macmillan Company, New York - First Edition
A fine first edition of the first book by this golfing legend, illustrated with a colour frontispiece and 46 black and white photographic plates. A combination of autobiography and instructional.‘Although he was of slight stature, Travers dominated golf in the decade before World War I with his stunning iron shots and expert putting. He won many tournaments because of his calm temperament, patience, and ability to make precise shots. He won the United States Amateur in 1907, 1908, 1912, and 1913, and was runner-up in 1914. His victory in 1913 set a record for that tournament – not broken until Bobby Jones won it five times. He was among the first members of the Golf Hall of Fame established by the United States Golf Association’. [DAB]
‘Some of the words used to describe Jerry Travers have not been kind – cold, somber, ruthless – yet these were the qualities that made him the most feared golfer of his time. In a nine-year stretch from 1906-1915, Travers won four U.S. Amateurs, five Metropolitan Amateurs and a U.S. Open. Only Bob Jones won more amateur titles and Travers was one of only five amateurs to win the Open. And his battles with Walter Travis, in the words of Herbert Warren Wind, “formed the crucible in which a talented young golfer was made into the greatest match player of his decade”‘. [World Golf Hall of Fame]
And in 1915 at the age of 28, Travers ended his championship career.
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Price HK$ 7,000
Newmarket & Arabia. An Examination of the Descent of Racers and Coursers -
Roger D. Upton (Captain Late 9th Royal Lancers)
1873 - Henry S. King & Co., London - First Edition
A fine, thus scarce, first edition of this important work, by former cavalry officer, Roger Upton, a prominent early expert in purebred Arabians and the English thoroughbred horses.
Illustrated with hand-coloured wood engraved front, and to the rear ‘contains a list of Arabians, Barbs, Turks, and foreign horses which were employed, more or less, in the formation of the English stud from the time of King James I, until about the end of the 18th century’ [Loder] including four large folding charts.
Written ‘to encourage. deeper insight into the history of the horse in this country, more especially ‘the thoroughbred’. A great champion of the Arabian horse, he examines its history, defends it from its detractors, and strongly urges that the then degenerate English stock, as he saw it, be re-founded on a pure Arabian bloodline. In his conclusion he outlined radical plans for a national stud to regenerate the English horse, to the advantage of racers, hunters and cavalrymen. [Ithaca Press]
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Price HK$ 14,000
1873 - Henry S. King & Co., London - First Edition
A fine, thus scarce, first edition of this important work, by former cavalry officer, Roger Upton, a prominent early expert in purebred Arabians and the English thoroughbred horses.Illustrated with hand-coloured wood engraved front, and to the rear ‘contains a list of Arabians, Barbs, Turks, and foreign horses which were employed, more or less, in the formation of the English stud from the time of King James I, until about the end of the 18th century’ [Loder] including four large folding charts.
Written ‘to encourage. deeper insight into the history of the horse in this country, more especially ‘the thoroughbred’. A great champion of the Arabian horse, he examines its history, defends it from its detractors, and strongly urges that the then degenerate English stock, as he saw it, be re-founded on a pure Arabian bloodline. In his conclusion he outlined radical plans for a national stud to regenerate the English horse, to the advantage of racers, hunters and cavalrymen. [Ithaca Press]
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Price HK$ 14,000
Modern Cycles. A Practical Handbook on their Construction and Repair -
A. J. Wallis-Tayler
1897 - Crosby Lockwood and Son, London - First Edition
A fine and rare first edition of one of the earliest works on cycling to feature such technical details, including the machinery required to produce various bicycle designs.
Including a history of the cycle, and chapters on ‘Modern Safety Bycicles or Dicycles’ and ‘Modern Tricycles or Three-Wheeled Cycles’.
Profusely illustrated throughout with 304 in-text drawings and lithographs, and one folding plate to the rear.
The author, Alexander James Wallis-Tayler, was an engineer, who ran an inspection and technical drawing company with two offices in London, he was also a prolific author of engineering and design related works.
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Price HK$ 5,000
1897 - Crosby Lockwood and Son, London - First Edition
A fine and rare first edition of one of the earliest works on cycling to feature such technical details, including the machinery required to produce various bicycle designs. Including a history of the cycle, and chapters on ‘Modern Safety Bycicles or Dicycles’ and ‘Modern Tricycles or Three-Wheeled Cycles’.
Profusely illustrated throughout with 304 in-text drawings and lithographs, and one folding plate to the rear.
The author, Alexander James Wallis-Tayler, was an engineer, who ran an inspection and technical drawing company with two offices in London, he was also a prolific author of engineering and design related works.
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Price HK$ 5,000
The Complete Angler -
Izaak Walton, Charles Cotton, Edward Jesse (editor)
1861 - Henry G. Bohn, London - The Second Jesse Edition
A finely bound copy of one of the most profusely illustrated editions, the second to be edited by Edward Jesse. According to Oliver, ‘this edition has been criticized as having been somewhat too fully annotated and illustrated, but the illustrations, in our opinion, add as much to the charm of the book, as the notes do to its interest’.
‘Indeed, my good scholar, we may say of angling, as Dr. Boteler said of strawberries,
" Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did ";
and so, if I might be judge, God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.’
The most enduring distinction of the Complete Angler is the one cast off by its subtitle The Contemplative Man's Recreation with its graceful evocations of a life free from hurly-burly in the company of friends intent on physical and moral sustenance. The range of perspectives that Walton brings to bear on his rural descriptions embrace literature, poetry, music and anecdote.
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Price HK$ 9,500
1861 - Henry G. Bohn, London - The Second Jesse Edition
A finely bound copy of one of the most profusely illustrated editions, the second to be edited by Edward Jesse. According to Oliver, ‘this edition has been criticized as having been somewhat too fully annotated and illustrated, but the illustrations, in our opinion, add as much to the charm of the book, as the notes do to its interest’.‘Indeed, my good scholar, we may say of angling, as Dr. Boteler said of strawberries,
" Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did ";
and so, if I might be judge, God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.’
The most enduring distinction of the Complete Angler is the one cast off by its subtitle The Contemplative Man's Recreation with its graceful evocations of a life free from hurly-burly in the company of friends intent on physical and moral sustenance. The range of perspectives that Walton brings to bear on his rural descriptions embrace literature, poetry, music and anecdote.
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Price HK$ 9,500
The Life of Izaak Walton; including Notices of his Contemporaries -
Thomas Zouch
1826 - Thomas Gosden, London - First Gosden Edition
A charmingly bound Gosden edition of Zouch’s ‘Life of Izaak Walton’, first published in 1790, and later illustrated here with eighteen engraved plates which where also used for Thomas Gosden’s 1822 edition of the ‘Compleat Angler’.
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Price HK$ 2,000
1826 - Thomas Gosden, London - First Gosden Edition
A charmingly bound Gosden edition of Zouch’s ‘Life of Izaak Walton’, first published in 1790, and later illustrated here with eighteen engraved plates which where also used for Thomas Gosden’s 1822 edition of the ‘Compleat Angler’.
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Price HK$ 2,000
The Laws of Piquet – Adopted by the Portland and Turf Clubs with a Treatise on the Game -
“Cavendish” [Pseud. Henry Jones]
1892 - Thomas De La Rue & Co., London - Eighth Edition
A charming little book of instructions and rules for Piquet, one of France’s most popular card games, courtesy of “Cavendish”.
Devised in the 16th century, Piquet is a ‘trick-taking’ card game for two players. Played with a 32-card deck, each game consists of six deals.
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Price HK$ 800
1892 - Thomas De La Rue & Co., London - Eighth Edition
A charming little book of instructions and rules for Piquet, one of France’s most popular card games, courtesy of “Cavendish”.Devised in the 16th century, Piquet is a ‘trick-taking’ card game for two players. Played with a 32-card deck, each game consists of six deals.
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Price HK$ 800