SPANIELS: THEIR BREAKING FOR SPORT AND FIELD TRIALS. By H.W. Carlton. With an Introduction by W. Arkwright. Ninth edition.

(1915) 1976 9th edition. 16mo (107 x 172mm). Ppxvi,136. B/w plate frontispiece with new (1976) photographs on preceding page. Adverts from the original. Green boards, upper board and spine titled in gilt.

"I am painfully aware that [this book's] very thoroughness creates [a] difficulty. What is there left to me to write about? ...I will draw attention to the rather obvious fact that Mr. Carlton's work fills a gap in gundog literature; for it is, I believe, the only one that has ever been devoted in its entirety to the breaking - to the education of the spaniel." William Arkwright in the Introduction to the fifth edition, 1931. A thorough, authoritative and ground-breaking book, still of much use. The contents cover, general principles, the perfect spaniel with regard to its duties, early lessons for puppies, other methods of teaching puppies retrieving, dropping to shot, subesequent retrieving lessons, hunting in cover, the open and hedgerows, work with the gun, brace and team work, water work, some difficulties and suggestions, psychology and dog-breaking,field trials.