Wild Beasts and Their Ways.: Reminiscences of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.

London: Macmillan and Co.,, 1890. First edition of Baker's penultimate and most detailed account of the animal world. This work is the summation of his research into big animals and offers a fascinating juxtaposition by being a natural history account told by a game hunter: "we must thoroughly understand their 'ways' before we can undertake this killing" (preface). Baker (1821-1893) was an explorer and big-game hunter who travelled across Africa, Japan, and India. He also travelled along the Nile with his wife, Florence Baker, who aided their explorations and research. He was awarded the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and journeyed through Egypt with the future King Edward VII, to whom he dedicated this book. Two volumes, octavo (220 x 140 mm). Contemporary blue half calf by Mudie of London, twin red spine labels, gilt reticulated floral tooling in compartments, marbled sides and endpapers. Housed in recent black slipcase. With steel-engraved frontispiece in each volume, and 25 similar plates. Spines sunned, minor stripping of leather, judiciously recoloured in places, extremities slightly rubbed and bumped, occasional foxing throughout, a few marks to slipcase. A very good copy. Czech Africa, p. 16.