Heading: (Sporting)
Author:
Title: The Sportsman's Portfolio of American Field Sports
Place Published: Boston
Publisher:M.M. Ballou
Date Published: 1855
Description:

43 pp. Illustrated with vignette title-page, 20 full-page wood-cut illustrations, one other in text. (Oblong 4to) 21x29 cm (8¼x11"), lacking original illustrated wrappers. First Edition.

One of the rarest of early American illustrated sporting books. 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 practiced at that time." Scarce and sought after volume, no recent auction records could be found. Phillips, p. 355; Henderson pp. 228-229; Goodspeed, p. 350; Van Winkle Sale 710; Wetzel p. 217

As with most surviving copies, this one lacks the original wrappers, pages bound with archival tape, areas of darkening to title page with light dampstaining in upper corner and small piece missing at bottom corner of title and last page, some creasing to bottom corners throughout, a few closed tears at page edges, one repaired with cellotape through p. 11. toning to pages throughout with occasional spots of darkening and light foxing, overall a solid copy; very good.