OBERTHUR (Joseph). — Game of Our Country. Pointing Dogs. Gam - Lot 219

OBERTHUR (Joseph). — Game of Our Country. Pointing Dogs. Game Birds of the Plains and Woods. Paris, Librairie des Champs-Élysées, 1971. Large in-4 volume, in the publisher’s beige cloth binding, with a color dust jacket illustrated after works by Joseph Oberthur, and the publisher’s cardboard slipcase; 302 pp., numerous black-and-white illustrations in the text and full-page illustrations, based on the author’s drawings. Reprint of the 1941 first edition of the fourth volume of the famous hunting series *Gibiers de notre pays*, published under the patronage of the Saint-Hubert Club de France. Commercial bibliographies confirm that this 1971 edition is in-4 format, with 302 pages, hardcover binding, a dust jacket, and a slipcase. Joseph Oberthur, a physician, naturalist, hunter, and wildlife artist, devotes this volume to pointing dogs and the various game birds of the plains and woods. Partridges, pheasants, and other game birds are studied in terms of their morphology, behavior, movements, and relationships with the natural environment and hunting practices. The book is richly illustrated by Oberthur himself with particularly precise animal drawings—some of which are full-page—which constitute one of the main attractions of this important series on natural history as applied to hunting. The first edition from 1941 had a print run of 1,700 copies and is now the sought-after bibliophile’s edition of the work. This 1971 edition reproduces the text and illustrations in a carefully crafted editorial presentation. A fine copy, complete with its illustrated dust jacket and, most importantly, its original slipcase. Interior is fresh. The dust jacket shows several signs of wear: minor scuffs and soiling, a few snags and tears at the corners, with small areas of paper missing at the top of the spine; the slipcase also shows some signs of wear. The cardboard binding and the book block appear to be well preserved.