Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter – Theodore Roosevelt – 1905 | First Edition, 48 Lithographs

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26^th President of the United States, was known for being a model of 19^th-century American masculinity. Whether through his exploits in the Rough Riders or his “Big Stick” policy on foreign relations, Roosevelt’s energy and bravado was well-admired by the American populace. He was also a vocal explorer, hunter, and naturalist. This first edition of one of his most notable written works, “Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter,” published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1905, details Roosevelt’s analysis of hunting techniques and strategies drawn from his experience as a hunter in the American West.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter
• Author: Theodore Roosevelt
• Illustrator: Various
• Publisher: New York, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1905.
• Edition: First Edition, October 1905
• Binding: Original publisher’s brown cloth with gilt vignette and gilt spine titles
• Format: Octavo (8vo), single volume
• Size: ~ 9.25 in × 6.25 in (23.5 cm × 16 cm)
• Collation: xi, [1], 369, [1]
• Illustrations: 48 illustrations lithographs, including frontispiece
• Contents Include:
  • Roosevelt’s autobiographical sporting essays
  • 48 lithographic plates representing American wildlife and frontier hunting
  • Original Scribner cloth binding with gilt decoration
  • Complete 1905 first edition text and illustration suite
• Provenance Handwritten inscription to Charles Barber Marks (who was a first lieutenant in the US 76th Field Artillery Regiment during WWI) from Chas. [E] Barber, Christmas 1905.
• References: Heller 312; Phillips, p.320; Wegner, p. 233
  • Heller: “Big game hunting in the West, including cougar with hounds, a Colorado bear hunt, wolf-coursing, pronghorn antelope in cattle country, mountain sheep, whitetail and blacktail deer, wapiti, etc”

Condition:

Good condition. Original brown cloth shows mottling and warping to the boards, as well as fraying along the spine and softening at the corners. Gilt stamping remains legible on the spine and clear on the front vignette. Hinges are intact and strong, and the text block is tight. Pages display light age toning, but overall a clean copy. All 48 lithographs are present and intact.

Why Collect This?

• First edition of one of Roosevelt’s major sporting books
• Includes all 48 lithographs documenting early conservation era hunting
• Early twentieth century American outdoorsman narrative

Item Number: # 31211