An Academy for Grown Horsemen
London: Methuen & Co., 1905. A New Edition. 16mo, 120 pages, bound in gilt-lettered quarter red leather over marbled boards. Signed by the binder "Bumpus." Top edge gilt. Marbled endpapers. Illustrated in full colorl. An Academy for Grown Horsemen, written under the pseudonym Geoffrey Gambado, is a classic work of English sporting satire that parodies the language and pretensions of formal riding manuals. First published in the late eighteenth century, the book adopts the tone of authoritative instruction while gleefully subverting it, offering mock lessons on posture, technique, and the supposed wisdom of riding masters that inevitably lead to comic mishaps and absurd conclusions. Its humor rests on exaggerated confidence, deadpan delivery, and a sharp eye for social affectation, making the work as much a satire of gentlemanly culture as of horsemanship itself. Long popular with readers who appreciated caricature and visual comedy, the book remained in demand well into the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when illustrated reprints—such as this 1905 London edition—continued to delight collectors of equestrian literature, sporting humor, and English satire. Some slight rubbing and wear, spine discolored, previous owner's inscription, corners slightly damaged, some light scattered foxing, else in very good condition. Item #187
Price: $225.00