THE BIG SHOTS: EDWARDIAN SHOOTING PARTIES. By Jonathan Garnier Ruffer.

(1977) 1970's reprint. 4to (200 x 260mm). Pp144. B/w photographs, pictorial end-papers. Blue boards, spine titled in gilt, gilt monogram to upper board.

"In the second half of the nineteenth century, Society discovered a new diversion: the shooting party. The new breechloading gun made it possible to kill great numbers of birds quickly; the railways made it possible to get to country houses more conveniently. In addition, there was the presence of Edward, Prince of Wales to provide the social impetus. ...Its exponents were men with too much time and too much money, and after a while it became a way of life, with its own exclusive standards and rules. The ladies, in the main, hated every minute." Chapters include: Introduction by Lord Walsingham; The rise of the shoot; The royal example; The great shots; Famous shoots; The foreigner as host and guest; Proprieties and improprieties; The supporting cast; Appendices give records, and, Lord Ripon On How To Shoot.