Sport in War [Masterclass Exhibition Copy - Custom Designer Leather Binding & Inlaid Horseshoe Presentation Box]

First trade edition, Small folio. pp98. A spectacular, one-of-a-kind exhibition set representing the absolute pinnacle of modern British designer bookbinding. This copy of Lionel Dawson’s classic military-sporting work has been completely transformed into a luxurious, bespoke showpiece. • The Binding: Masterfully bound in a contemporary three-quarter tan calf leather with forest green buckram boards. The spine features elegant raised bands and a dark green leather title label hand-tooled in bright gold leaf. The boards are decorated with delicate, hand-rolled gold-dotted borders]. • The Details: The text block edges have been beautifully hand-sprinkled with a traditional red edge-stain. Internally complete with all 6 vibrant colour plates and 6 monochrome plates by legendary equestrian artist Lionel Edwards. • The Presentation Box: The book is housed in a colossal, custom-built deluxe presentation box lined with black velvet. The exterior of the box is wrapped in full tan calf leather to the spine to match the book, with heavy-duty forest green buckram sides. Inlaid beautifully flush into the front cover leather panel of the box is a high-shine, polished chrome equestrian horseshoe. Provenance: Includes the original 2005 assessment paperwork from Leicester College’s BTEC Advanced Professional Diploma in Bookbinding. This set was executed by artisan bookbinder Frank Pickering for "Unit 8: Leather and Designer Binding" under tutor George Mottram, showcasing a perfect mastery of advanced tight-back binding, hand-tooling, and custom box making. Also includes a laid-in newspaper obituary clipping for Lt-Col Frederick Edmeades, a famed Master of Foxhounds. Both the custom book binding and the presentation box are in very good, structurally immaculate condition—tight, square, and flawless on the shelves. Internally, all pages and plates are in near-fine, exceptionally clean condition with virtually none of the heavy foxing usually associated with this 1930s paper stock. An unrepeatable masterwork of modern book craft; a premier gift for a collector of fine bindings or equestrian sport history. Heavy book and may incur addition postage charges.…