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| Cyclopedia of Natural History: Charles C. Abbott M.D. |
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A nice encyclopedia of animals aimed at children. Nearly one third of the book is devoted to birds of all types, and naturally a section pertaining to pigeons. The author has adopted Darwin's theory or evolution and reversion to wild type event though that was more controversial back in 1888 when this book was published than now. There are over 500 drawings sprinkled throughout, making it much more interesting. There is a small section on the Passenger pigeon, still around but threatened at the time, and also a mention of the Dodo which had already ceased to exist. |
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$30 1888 previous owner's pigeon stamp on front papers, very good overall. 17 |
| Jack's Carrier Pigeons Hezekiah Butterworth |
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Jack's Carrier Pigeons is placed in both this section because
it most certainly is a fiction children's' work, but it was first published
in 1900, so a this listing has been placed there as well. The book is a series
of tales that uses pigeons as a metaphor to start the initial tales. The
short stories are not connected in a literal way and are more akin to the
stories of the Arabian nights in that way, but are very connected in the
overall theme of each story - making us better persons. There may not be
a thousand stories in the 289 pages, but there are certainly many. The injured
pigeon used throughout the book does in the end, end, but even here lays
a moral for us all. |
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$30 1st 1900 edition in very good condition hardback for
its age, but the pages and boards have tanned and faded. No jacket. |
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Much nicer covers and interior, would be rated as
excellent for its age except for previous owner's signature. |
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$60 1st 1900 edition in very good condition hardback for its
age. No jacket. |
| Pets: Their History and Care: Lee S. Crandall |
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While this is titled Pets, actually covers a lot more animals
than what we would normally consider pets, and the domestic pigeon section
is quite good for a book covering so many species. The section on domestic
pigeons provides basic information care, breeding and some of the current
information on color genetics. Information is provided on many of the more
popular breeds at the time including homers, Antwerps, Dragoon, Carriers,
Barbs, Owls, Turbits and more. It also has a couple of nice pages of black
and white photographs of a few breed printed on very nice paper. The pages
have started to tan, but no real foxing. The cloth covering the boards is
quite worn in a few places as the scan shows. |
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$35 Hardback 1917 1st very good condition with
the exception of the cover as noted above.27 |
| Pigeons and Rabbits: E. S. Delamer |
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First published in 1854 and used by Darwin in his work. It covers both rabbits and pigeons in their wild, domestic and captive states. This is a later edition with illustrations, but there is no definitive publication date that I can find. There are two previous owners' marks one is dated Feb. 29, 1872. The orange cloth with black decoration is a bit worn, but considering its age, it is still in very good condition. A lot of the known breeds are described in text as well as drawing as shown in the scans. It is a small book of 152 pages, plus a few more for advertisements. Even the back cover is used to peddle other issues by the publisher, George Routlidge & Sons. |
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$14 Delamar electronic copy on CD in MS Word and Adobe PDF formats. |
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$6 Download as PDF file. |
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$140, Considering its age, still very good. 6 |
| A to Z of Pigeons: J. W. Dietz |
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Dietz work may be the initial introduction into standards
for judging. While the main title would indicate a more general work, the
subtitle, with Latest Standards, is what sets this early work out from the
rest. There are many breeds described, supplemented photographs or drawings,
with rather detailed information as to just how the breeds are supposed to
look. There is also a short section with suggestions for judging. The work
is 145 pages, including a nice glossary of pigeon terms. The original work
was bond soft, but rather unusually as the scan shows. It is of a "leather
like" material that feels like vinyl, but it was published in 1929. It is
held together with a decorative string. The scan probably shows it better
than I can explain it. The title was embossed onto the front cover but has
faded considerable. |
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$225, Dietz 1st edition. 6 |
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This is an undated reprint that appears to have been of
the same period or very nearly so. Perhaps, just a less expensive copy.
The front cover is creased, as the enlarged scan shows, and the back
cover has been signed by a previous owner. The pages are all very nice
with very little discoloration, and are actually somewhat brighter than the
fancier bound version above. |
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$175, Dietz undated. 5 |
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| The Dovecote and the Aviary: E. S. Dixon |
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This title has been rebound at some time in the distant past, which undoubtedly has assisted the good state of preservation for a book from 1851. The title was written during interesting times is the field zoology in general and heredity in specific. It is of interest to note that so many pigeon breeders were in the forefront of the field. We learn from the book's preamble that" The writer is fully aware that it is not easy for him to answer and explain several of the objections that my be urged against the theoretical views he has ventured to state; but he is also both extensively read and practically experienced in the still greater difficulties and inconsistencies of the progressive hypotheses of domesticated creatures." And Dixon dedicates his work to the Earl of Derby President of the Zoological Society of London at the time. |
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$295 There is some foxing but overall this copy is in very good condition. 5x7, 485pp + ads. 18 |
| Eaton's Treatise on Pigeons John Matthews Eaton 1858 |
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| $850 This is really an incredible piece of work. There are
few works in any language that dealt with the pigeon hobby so early on. Remember
this is even before Darwin's famous work, Variation of Animals and Plants,
which included a chapter on pigeons. Eaton probably states it best by his
choice of quotes by Locke on the title page "All that a man knows, or ever
will know, is by observation or reflection." Yes, this is a true scholarly
work. It matters not that it was written by a lay man, as the style often
reveals. It is a masterpiece and the eighteen hand colored pictures are indeed
lovely to behold, even though two of the images are of the same bird, the
almond tumbler from Eaton's own loft, and obviously his favorite breed. |
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$850 Very good hardback, nearly excellent
for its age. No jacket. 1858 1st edition. 16 |
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| American Squab Culture: E. H. Eggleston |
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Eggleston's book, American Squab Culture, is devoted to
the profitable raising of squabs for marked. There were several ventures
and authors near the beginning of last century that had a go at making squab
production a business enterprise. His book covers all the basics, including
health, feeding and housing, but focusing on making the activity profitable
rather than a hobby. To that end there are chapters on book keeping, squab
market preparation, selection of breeding stock, and preferred breeds. His
first edition was published in 1916 and this revised issue was published
in 1921. The outer edges of the paper have started to tan from age, but it
remains a very good copy indeed. With the eating close to home movement now
underway, perhaps there will be a revival of squab production, if for nothing
else than one's own culinary enjoyment. |
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$20 Very good hardback no jacket. 16 |
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$30 Excellent hardback no jacket. 16 |
| Profitable Pigeon Breeding: Arthur Hazard |
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Frank Hollman the publisher of this manual as well the American
Pigeon Journal of the day, probably says it best in his note. "Mr.
Hazard is not only a breeder of pigeons, but a recognized authority on the
subject, having had a life-long experience to back up his statements. He
is well known to the pigeon world as a practical writer having contributed
articles for many years to the American Pigeon Journal. He knows what affects
profit and loss, knows the problems of the beginner, and explains in detail
the successive steps the beginner must learn in order to became a successful
pigeon breeder,—whether it be merely-as a hobby or as an exclusive business.
No time or expense has been spared in making this book as valuable as possible,
all the illustrations being from actual photographs while the drawings were
especially made by Mr. Hazard himself. The plans and specifications for the
construction of pigeon houses and fly pens will prove of great value to these
who contemplate building a pigeon plant or enlarging their present plant.
The book has .been divided into forty chapters, thus making it not only well
suited for textbook use in agricultural colleges, poultry extension courses,
boys' and girls' club work, correspondence courses, but also convenient for
home study. |
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$28 Very good hardback, no jacket, 236+ pages of advertisements 1922. 15 |
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$32 Excellent hard back, no jacket, 236+ pages of
advertisements 1922. 15 |
| The Modena Pigeon; W. F. Holmes |
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While several decent authors and Modena fanciers
have contributed to body of Modena knowledge, W. F. Holmes is clearly the
great fore runner for the English language. He can't take us on to the current
state since this book was written back in 1921, but he certainly can and
does provide a wealth of first hand knowledge and from his perspective some
recent history of the Modenas in the previous century. With this book of
Holmes' and more recent works one can accurately draw the development of
this breed from the early to mid 1800s till now. |
Something nearly impossible
to do for many breeds. While the book has several drawings, it also sports
actual photographs of the birds of the day, providing a very accurate
representation of the birds of his period.
The book was printed as a paperback and time has taken its
toll on these relatively rare issues. The publisher pasted in the colored
print from the Feathered World, December 1913. It is in good shape for both
copies, but was folded to meet the size of the book, much as a map. A must
have for any pigeon historian and Modena breeders. |
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$12 Copy on CD in MS Word or Adobe PDF format. |
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$5 Down load as a PDF file. |
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