LA GUÉRINIÈRE, M. de la. École de Cavalerie contenant la connaissance, l’instruction, et la conservation du cheval.
Paris: Huart et Moreau fils, 1751
£ 2,500
Second edition. Folio; [viii], 318 pp., [v]. Illustrated frontis; with Table of contents, Approval and Privilege in closing before the plates. 24 full-page copper plates, including 3 fold-outs; with Lorraine coat of arms engraved at the start of the dedication. Internally clean and unmarked; slight age toning and minor foxing throughout. Contemporary half-calf binding with speckled boards. Slight wear to boards; corners lightly bumped; gilt label on spine; blind-stamped tooling on spine. A very good copy, with bright and very well-preserved illustrations.
This one of the most successful works on the equestrian arts. The author, La Guérinière, was the Squire of Louis XV and was celebrated in his time for his unsurpassed skills and patience with horses. He is the founder a school of cavalry on a that epitomizes the French model and which achieved great success. He died at Versailles in 1751. In this second edition, the “Traité du Haras”, or Treaty on the Stud-farm, (pp. 306 – 318), appears for the first time.