Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating book on nomadic Arabian falconers
Interesting and informative 143-page first-hand account about nomadic Bedouin falconry, the birds, their prey and their equipment.

Portions from the inside flap:
"It is very rare for a westerner to be accepted to live and hunt with the nomads of the Arabian deserts. From a young age Mark Allen's love and knowledge of hawking earned him the respect of the Bedouin, and gave him the opportunity of hunting with them and comparing the different methods of Arab and European falconry. The result is this first-hand account of the Bedouin, their love of this ancient sport and the part it plays in their lives."

"Superb color photos, several by the explorer Wilfred Thesiger. Magnificent colour plates by Mary-Clare Critchley-Salmonson present the birds of prey, their trappings and their furniture in precise and life-like detail."

CONTENTS:
Preface
Foreword
Arabs and Arabia
The Arab Falconer's Birds
Trapping
Training
Quarry
The Field
Home Life
End Piece
Appendix
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

From the Foreword, written by Wilfred Thesiger:
"Mark Allen, an Arabic scholar and a dedicated falconer, has written a fascinating and absorbing book on Arab falconry... if only I could have read it before I went hawking with Sheikh Zayid, how greatly would I have profited." ... Read more

Product Description
Houghton's verse has been described as "a seamless modernization of Robert Frost." The characters of these poems show us glimpses of a spiritual world hidden, not in the forest paths and stone fences of New England, but in the equally rugged landscape of human relationships. The metrical discipline hidden within the seemingly natural speech of Houghton's characters reflects contemporary sensibilities in a transparent mirror of classical forms and structures. While a few of the poems have appeared previously in such publications as "The Living Church" and "The Classical Outlook," this is Houghton's first book-length collection of poetry -- a remarkable work of literature for the sophisticated reader of verse. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Falconry: A Classical Reading Experience!
"Falconry" comes highly recommended, due to the fact that it is rare, indeed, to find a collection of poems that are so finely penned, so elegantly thought out.The photos by William Ames Bascom are an added plus!
Meter is the backbone of finely crafted sonnets, and Houghton's grasp of cadence, rhythm, strophe, and tone is masterful and confident.He is obviously a pedantic poet-artist, and is very aware of the stresses in the syllabic feet in his lines.His use of syncopated rhythm, and lyrical metaphor, combine to make poetry that is reminescent of theclassicists.Clearly, Houghton is familiar with the workings behind 'the poem', to put it simply--'poetics'.
The words from John William Houghton flow like a stream, rise up and connect the soul to the stars with a yearning for the lovely, the enlightened, the lucid.This reviewer can offer no "stock response" to the likes of the poetry from the man who wrote "Falconry and other poems."Get this book! ... Read more

Product Description
The traditions of Arab falconry are told with a Western voice as Roger Upton delves into the mystique of the tradition of falconry in the Middle East. Since pre-Islamic times, the Arab world has had a proud history of flying hawks, including sakers, lanners and peregrines. From Morocco to Pakistan, falconers, princes and sheikhs come together at hunting camps to share their experiences and techniques for trapping hawks and flying them at quarry. Whether the hawking party involves a handful or hundreds of men, they sit around the campfire to discuss their day, tell stories and prepare their hawks for the next day of hunting. Whether the prey is the houbara bustard, the stone curlew or the desert hare, Arab falconers train their prized falcons to be successful hunters of their chosen quarry. Using traditional techniques such as hooding to modern developments like telemetry, Arab falconers find success and satisfaction in the sport of falconry. "Arab Falconry" explores their stories.With a personal account by author Roger Upton, including excerpts from his own diaries that follow his adventures on hawking trips over decades, this book provides a real glimpse into the world of Arab falconry, which is rarely documented in the West. ... Read more

Product Description
HAWKING or FAULCONRY

By Richard Blome.

"Hawking or Faulconry" was originally published in 1686 as part of the author’s classic work – "The Gentleman’s Recreation.", and is now considered an important milestone in the early history of Falconry.First editions of this work are now extremely rare and consequently expensive.

READ COUNTRY BOOKS has now republished it using the original text and engravings.

One hundred and fifty five pages contain twenty five detailed chapters:-Directions for Taking Hawks. – Of the Several Sorts of Hawks. – The Gerfaulcon. – The Slight Faulcon. – The Lanner. – The Merlin. – The Hobby. – The Bawrel. – The Castrel. – The Goshawk. – The Sparrow Hawk. – Reclaiming the Haggard-Faulcon. – Enseaming a Faulcon. – Bathing a Hawk. – Making a Hawk Bold and Hardy. – Feeding. – Hern Hawking. – Brook Hawking. – Rules for the Mew. – Falconers Rules. – Falconry Terms. – Diseases and Cures. – Choice and Use of Spaniels. – Certain Terms of Art. – Hawking Statutes. Etc.

Also incorporated in the contents is a thirty two page preface with notes on the history of this, and other important falconry books.

This is a fascinating read for any Falconry enthusiast or historian, but also contains much information that is still useful and practical today.

Many of the earliest sportingbooks, particularly those dating back to the 1800s,are now extremely scarce and very expensive. READ COUNTRY BOOKS are republishingthese classic works in affordable, high quality,modern editions,using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Falconry," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Falconry in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Falconry when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Falconry, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
This Elibron Classics edition is a facsimile reprint of a 1891 edition by Bernard Quaritch, London. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Hunting is for the Birds
Falconry is one of the oldest field sports in the world, going back to at least 1200BC. Shooting supplanted hawking as a means of providing game birds for the table. Farming plantations reduced the area available for this sport: fewer game birds. Hawking requires open country with few hedges or trees, refuges for birds. Falconry was the chief sport of the aristocracy until the 17th century (p.11).

Hawks are divided into two variants: true falcons (long-winged hawks), and true hawks (short-winged hawks). Falcons are at home in the open country, hawks at woody areas. Hoods are used to control a hawk that would otherwise be so nervous and excitable as to become exhausted. Hooded, it can be carried for miles through streets and railways. There are technical terms used in hawkings (pp.25-27).

The training of hawks on dead and then live birds is an example of Pavlovian conditioning. A dog is used to flush game birds from cover. When one bird in a flock is killed, the rest find a refuge. They will soon be out again, for there is nothing unnatural in being frightened by a hawk; they readily learn to avoid them. Birds learn to take to any ditch to avoid a hawk. Setters are more suited to hawking than pointers. More game birds are taken by shooting. A passage hawk is preferable to a nestling, being stronger and gentler. But eyesses are easier to train. Falcons and other raptors follow the flocks of migrating birds. Pages 55-58 describe the capture of passage hawks; pages 60-64 describe their training.

The book implicitly describes the labor-intensive training of falcons and hawks. Shooting is less labor-intensive and more cost-effective in gathering game birds for the table. It also requires less open country. There are also the increased demands upon time since the 19th century. Falconry has become almost as obsolete as a scythe for cutting grasses. Providing habitats for wild hawks and falcons in suburban areas is one way to lessen the vermin in these areas.

Chapter VI tells of those who renewed interest in this "sport of kings" during the 19th century. Sportsmen who take up hawking rarely abandon it, although the land area needed prevents its general popularity. Chapter VII describes the housing for falcons, their care and treatment, and general hints. The intensive hand labor and care is remarkable. The book tells how to repair broken feathers by 'imping' and 'sewing in'. 'Coping' is the shortening of beak and claws. Hawks appear to suffer from as many and complex diseases as humans.

This 1971 edition is a reprint of the British 1892 edition. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1908.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1852. This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1891Original Publisher: B. QuaritchSubjects: FalconryJuvenile Nonfiction / Animals / BirdsNature / Birds ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very informative
it's exelen ... Read more

Product Description
Through falconry imagery the author takes the reader through a wide range of many poets and dramatists of the Late Mediaeval and Renaissance areas. The symbolism and many references on this sport in literature gives the reader a good incite into falconry of the past and as it is practised in the present. The author has broken new ground and re-discovered references in literature known to an older generation of falconry enthusiasts. This book will be of practical use to students and aficionados of the English literature in clarifying some of the confusion that falconry can cause in Mediaeval and Renaissance texts. An interesting read of untold wealth of cultural and social history. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Journal of the American Oriental Society, published by American Oriental Society on January 1, 1999. The length of the article is 472 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Falconry in the Valley of the Indus.(Review)
Author: Ludo Rocher
Publication: The Journal of the American Oriental Society (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1999
Publisher: American Oriental Society
Volume: 119Issue: 1Page: 198(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more