Major-General William Tweedie – The Arabian Horse – Proof Copy 1894

An extremely rare uncorrected proof copy of this classic work on the Arabian Horse, published in 1894. The Arabian Horse: His Country and People is a seminal and early work on the subject, authored by William Tweedie, a soldier and diplomat who spent most of his career in Turkish-controlled Arabia in the late nineteenth century. He wrote this work between 1885 and 1891 while stationed in Baghdad. It contains sections on breeding and character, purchasing, treatment and training, equipment, origins, and its role in wider Arabian history and culture. This is possibly the first ever copy off the press, printed by Blackwoods and bearing their stamp on the title page and the final pages.  It has neat pencil tick marks next to various illustrations, suggesting it was used by editors to approve this first draft. This copy is not numbered and does not have the frontispiece which is featured in the full printed editions. Bound in grey-green paper wrappers with some marks and darkening, plus minor edgewear and chips.