The Cat That Walked by Himself

A selection of the Just So Stories. Pretty much know them by heart.

Thoughts on Beagling - Peter Wood - Country Life 1938

Another from Noël's bookshelf, I suspect that this was his as a boy.

Noël was keen on beagling, I never went with him but he did walk two litters of puppies at home. They were affectionate, eager little dogs. There is still a picture of a retriever puppy looming over the gang. A galleon in a sea of little boats, as they all ploughed through the snow.

Reading a seventy year old book it is the means of production as much as the content that are of interest. Typeset by typesetters, I only found one error. In the penultimate chapter we have "A fast pack is such country" which should be "A fast pack in such country". I can normally spot a few more than this in even the most rigorously proof-read modern books.

Who was this book aimed at? I am guessing that Peter Wood was himself a Master of Beagles, and that many of his fellow Masters would have bought a copy, but the majority must have been members of the Field. Certainly the number of people who took heed of the kennel design principles must really have been very small.

Whilst more interesting than reading a modern copy of Country Life I do not feel I got much from this dated book.