Guide to the Turf; or Pocket Racing Companion: Containing The English, Scotch, and Irish Nominations for 1843 & 1844; also, alphabetically arranged and indexed; the performances of the two-year-olds; list of winning horses in 1842; lengths of courses; laws of racing; Derby and St. Leger lots, colours of the riders, etc.

W. Ruff

Published by R. Ackermann, London, 1843

About this Item

A smart Victorian racing companion, with a former owner"s hand-written lyrical poems to the rear. In the original full morocco binding, bound by H. Jones, Swansea.A compact racing handbook, providing detailed listings of nominations across Britain and Ireland for the 1843 and 1844 seasons, alongside retrospective race results, with practical reference material including laws of racing and course lengths.By W. Ruff, a noted turf reporter associated with the Daily London Papers and Bell"s Life in London.Issued as a practical working guide for bettors and owners, such volumes were heavily used and often annotated. In this copy, the blank leaves to the rear, intended for racing memoranda, have instead been filled with the owner"s original manuscript verse. These include pieces titled A Cross Tie, To a Star, On the Violet, On Night, Come Love Come, and A Dream. The owner humbly prefaces these verses with a quotation from Robert Burns: "I am nae poet, in a sense; / But just a rhymer like by chance." In the original full morocco binding, bound by H. Jones, Swansea.Externally, smart. Slight rubbing and bumping to extremities. Spine slightly faded. Binder's discreet label to front paste down. Previous owner's inscription to front free endpaper. Slight rubbing to boards with one or two very minor handling marks. 104 previously blank pages to rear, filled with the previous owner's hand-written poetry. The owner has excised several leaves, with leaves between pp. 57-60 and 107-132 torn out (as per his manuscript pagination). Previous owner's small inscription to head of title page. The odd ink and pencil annotation from previous owner, not obscuring the original text. Lacking the half-title. Very Good.

Seller Inventory # 1006H17

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Guide to the Turf; or Pocket Racing Companion: Containing The English, Scotch, and Irish Nominations for 1843 & 1844; also, alphabetically arranged and indexed; the performances of the two-year-olds; list of winning horses in 1842; lengths of courses; laws of racing; Derby and St. Leger lots, colours of the riders, etc.
• Publisher: R. Ackermann, London
• Publication Date: 1843
• Binding: Leather
• Illustrator: None
• Condition: Very Good
• Book Type: book