Today I was in an antique shop looking for white elephant gifts for an upcoming party and I found a couple deals on books:
"Hunters" by J.A. Hunter - original 1952 edition in good shape for $6
"Fur or Feather: Days with Dog and Gun" by Lawrence B. (Lon) Smith original 1946 edition in good shape for $8
(needless to say, I bought them)
Over the past years I have also come across first or second edition printings of good hunting books for less than $10. (Including "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" by Jim Corbett second edition in excellent shape with the original dust cover)

Are any of you guys into collecting old hunting books as well?

I browse a few used book stores in Anchorage, Alaska and have come away with some real gems for pennies on the dollar. I can't really call my modest bookshelf a real "library" or "collection", but does have about 200 titles, mostly of hunting or adventure books. Right now I'm trying to find some good Asian sheep (argali), ibex and markhor hunting books and have picked 15 or so of those.

I enjoy going through the old used bookstores to see what is there.

Old hunting titles are hard to find. I always go to used books stores when I find them and head for the hunting section. Sometimes real bargains can be found. I have a few of Hunter's books and they are great stories. Same with Jim Corbett. Ricardo Medem's "Persia, Safari on the Summits," is a title you should look for. It was a Trophy Room Book but I cold not find it on their web site.

I had not heard of Medem's "Persia, Safari on the Summits" but do have his "Argali". Very interesting book, and I will begin looking for the Persia title. I believe "Argali" is still available from Amazon.

Thanks.

This may not be the best lace to post this, but you got me curious about the books I have on Asian hunting. And I recalled a real loner. A book entitled "Shikar," written by Dean Witter, and published in 1961 by the James H. Barry Co., San Francisco. About tiger hunting in India. Found in a used book shop San Francisco.

Among my absurdly huge collection of old books encountered while wandering are original (1874)"Field, Cover and Trap Shooting" by A.H. Bogardus, and (1874) "American Wild-Fowl Shooting" by Joseph W. Long. These appeared in Pennsylvania flea markets.

Trophy Room Books has one copy of Medem's Persia left if anyone is interested.

They must have already sold it. I cannot find it on their website or mailings... Do you have a link to it?

quote:

Originally posted by DPhillips:
I browse a few used book stores in Anchorage, Alaska and have come away with some real gems for pennies on the dollar. I can't really call my modest bookshelf a real "library" or "collection", but does have about 200 titles, mostly of hunting or adventure books. Right now I'm trying to find some good Asian sheep (argali), ibex and markhor hunting books and have picked 15 or so of those.

I enjoy going through the old used bookstores to see what is there.

I don't have a library or even a large collection (less than 100 books) but I do like finding and reading hunting and fishing stories. I haven't read anything on Asian sheep hunting but it does sound interesting. It's something I'll keep my eye open for.

I found an autographed copy of Elmer Keith's "Sixguns" inscribed to Jack Roach, a prominant Houston Ford dealer and big game hunter in the 1950s, at a garage sale for $1. Don't know how it got there.

"I had not heard of Medem's "Persia, Safari on the Summits" but do have his "Argali". Very interesting book, and I will begin looking for the Persia title. I believe "Argali" is still available from Amazon."

I have both -- actually all three of them -- autographed to me by Medem, whom I know well through my years with SCI. That's because "Argali" had two "first" editions.

Ricardo printed his first English language "Argali" in Spain using the Safari Press logo but without knowlege of Safari Press. It had numerous typos in its captions, however, and the U.S. publisher would not carry it until it was corrected and printed again.

I edited the original English text for him. It had been translated from Spanish by an English teacher in Spain who knew nothing about our idioms and zip about hunting. (For just one example, he had Ricardo aiming at game through a SPOTTING scope mounted on his rifle!)

Ricardo also did not make all of my corrections in the text of his first first edition. He also wrote his own captions just before sending it to a printer, and these were never edited by anyone.

It's a good book despite its early problems. I'm proud to have photos of Arizona's desert sheep and sheep habitat in it.

Bill Quimby

Thanks for the insight Bill. I'll certainly give mine a look again.

quote:

Originally posted by DPhillips:
They must have already sold it. I cannot find it on their website or mailings... Do you have a link to it?

I e-mailed them to inquire about it not being on one of their contemporary lists and they wrote back with the information that they one in stock.

Amigos. I went to Amazon and found Argali for $149.00, with no description as to condition etc. Out of curiousity I went to E-Bay and typed in Argali. This came up:

http://cgi.ebay.com/RUSSIA-1-ROUBLE-2001-PROOF-ALTAI-AR...eZWD4VQQcmdZViewItem

If it does not come up, go to e-bay and try it...neat item.

For "Persia" try this one:

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&qi=hWVdCg...oIo_3612217941_2:3:3

quote:

Originally posted by billrquimby:
....I have both -- actually all three of them --autographed to me by Medem, whom I know well through my years with SCI. That's because "Argali" had two "first" editions.
Bill Quimby

Here's an offer, Bill. You leave me one of those in your will, and I'll leave you "Persia" in mine. Survivor wins.

"Here's an offer, Bill. You leave me one of those in your will, and I'll leave you "Persia" in mine. Survivor"

Sorry, Bill. I have "Persia," too, and it's also inscribed to me although I wasn't involved in its production. I got to know Ricardo and his late wife well when I hunted Spanish red deer and boar on their Estancia El Castaño near Toledo and attended the World Hunting Congress in Madrid in 1984 or so.

Bill Quimby

Back to the original thread. I rarely find collectible hunting books in thrift shops and yard sales, but I have found them.

(My most notable buy was a clean, deluxe bound, early edition of "Jock Of The Bushveld" for $1.)

When I uncover such a treasure I jump up and click my heels three times, spit over my shoulder, and yell "whoopee!"

Bill Quimby