THE WORLD OF SHOOTING (Limited Edition, Signed by Authors and Publisher)

Lausanne, Photographex Inc, 1987

4to, 396pp. Half leather hardcover binding, silver lettering to spine, and etched stainless steel engraving inset into front board, all edges silver. French fold dust jacket. In green cloth covered slipcase.

Copy no 430 of a limited edition of 1000. Signed by the authors and publisher. With loosely inserted material from publisher, including receipt, application form, and 2 cards.

In a 1990 (April 9) issue of Sports Illustrated, the American sportswriter, John Steinbreder, called it "an extraordinary celebration of wing shooting, rich with sumptuous photographs, fine writing and elegantly bound in green suede and leather. Three years were spent on the book-making process. The original intention was to print 2000 copies, but only 1000 were ever printed due to the lavish production costs and select audience for which it was written.” "[...] Alf Wannenburgh and [...] Peter Johnson's interest in this project laid not in a lust for blood but rather their love of sport and conservation". The purpose of the book was to acknowledge the contributions of individuals and collectives throughout the world who manage, sponsor, and actively safeguard wildlife—extending also to those who employ environmentally sustainable harvesting methods and other alternative approaches, especially the contributions made by sportsmen. During the research and interviewing portions of this book, Wannenburgh was given privileged access to private tracts mostly owned by families who had held custodianship for generations. He also met with Spain's Juan Carlos I, along with other members of Europe's royalty and aristocracy (mainly from Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy) involved in real-life shooting sport and conservation. The book is divided into three sections: "The Old World", "Outposts" and "The New World". The Old World segment covered a pheasant shoot at Schloss Ulrichskirchen hosted by Aleco von Bulgarini (Count d'Elci/Conte d'Elci) at his expansive Austrian estate of 7000 acres which has been held by the von Bulgarini family since 1630. In the Introduction, Wannenburgh and Johnson say that the book is "a tribute to excellence...in sport, in conservation, in all that is closely associated with the world of shooting." The World Of Shooting today is regarded as one of the most collectible and lavish books printed on the subject in the sporting world. (wikipedia.com)

Condition: Book: Very good. Only a few small indentations to front of dust jacket and slight creases running from top to bottom edge of front endpaper. Text and photos are clean and clear, solidly bound. Slipcase: Good. Light stains to bottom corners of slipcase. Fraying to cloth on corners of slipcase, especially to spine.