The Sportsman's Portfolio of American Field Sports.
Boston: M.M. Ballou, corner of Tremont and Bromfield Street, 1855.
First edition. Vignette title-page, 20 full-page wood-cut illustrations, one other in text. 1 vols. Small oblong 4to. Original printed wrappers with woodcut vignettes on front and rear covers. Front cover with wear to corner (marginal losses), chipping to corner margins of first few leaves; back cover detached. Half brown morocco slipcase and chemise Provenance: Don Frazier. Phillips, p. 355; Henderson pp. 228-229; Goodspeed, p. 350; Van Winkle Sale 710; Wetzel p. 217; Bruns G-36; Bibliotheca Salmo Salar 215; Biscotti, Six Centuries of Foxhunting, p. 148; Gee p. 245 (tracing only three copies). Item #260802
One of the rarest of early American illustrated sporting books, exceedingly rare in the original wrappers.
As of the Van Winkle Sale only two copies were known with the wrappers; and Ernest Gee, in his Introduction to the Derrydale facsimile of 1929, stated that he was able to trace only three copies, adding: “It may be described as the most profusely illustrated early sporting book published in America, as it contains twenty superb woodcuts delineating the various Field Sports practised at that time…” The plates, accompanied by a leaf of letterpress with often humorous comments by the anonymous author, include: Trout Fishing,Woodcock Shooting, Grouse Shooting, Moose Hunting, Duck Shooting, Salmon Fishing, Grouse Shooting, Bass Fishing, Bison Hunting, etc. The Portfolio first appeared in Gleason's Pictorial in 1853-54, and is among the rarest of American sporting desiderata. The publication price was 25 cents (see upper right on the front cover).
NUC locates 6 copies, few presumably with wrappers.
During the firm’s history, we have had only two other copies complete in wrappers, and two copies lacking most or all of the wrappers.
Price: $2,750.00 Free International Delivery
