Item #000903 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA. Demidoff E., Prince San Donato.

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Rowland Ward. 1904 London, 1st edn, 302pp, 113 text illus, 5 photogravures, and 1 fold-out colored text map and 1 fold-out colored map in rear pocket. A very good plus copy; no shelf wear, corners in very good shape, cloth and gilt bright, spine very, oh ever so slightly, mellowed, inner hinges good, no pen markings, no book plate, a very few light pencil markings on prelim, frontis page with a very slight damp mark, not effecting image and not found on any other pages. No foxing but map in rear pocket browned somewhat, otherwise complete, properly folded and without a single tear. As you can see, we have tried to pick at everything we could; this is a solid very good plus copy and in fact the best condition we have ever offered this book in 30 plus years. Item #000903

The third and last book by this famous Asian sheep and ibex hunter. In 1900 Prince Demidoff, his wife Sophie and a companion of earlier trips St George Littledale, traveled by rail from St. Petersburg to Moscow and then to Vladivostok, this part of the journey alone took 27 days! From there they took a boat and via the Sea of Okhotsk reached Petropavlovsk. They then hunted along the Pacific side of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Demidoff had brought with him his valet Cristo and a photographer named Tallent plus 4 tons of supplies! Several journeys inland were made and numerous sheep in bear were shot after many frustrations. The land was so remote and devoid of humans that Demidoff remarked that the shooting of sheep was more collecting than sport as they seemed devoid of fear of people. Another indication of the remoteness of the land was the discovery by Prince Demidoff of a giant lake not found on any known map; he named it in honor of his wife. All indications are that Demidoff and Littledale were the first sport hunters ever to collect these sheep. Interestingly enough the party’s return journey was impossible overland as the Chinese Boxer Rebellion had broken out then they were forced to take a boat back to Europe. The book deals exclusively with bears and snow sheep on the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula. Now that snow sheep hunting (Ovis nivicola) is open to foreigners in Russia this book is even more scarce than before. Scarce and sought-after item.

Price: $3,500.00