DAVIS, C. Noel.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

A History of the Shanghai Paper Hunt Club, 1863-1930. First edition, first printing, in a presentation binding, inscribed by the master of the Shanghai Paper Hunt Club on the first leaf, "Major-General Sir Arthur Wardrop C.B.E. From, N. L. Sparke. Master, S.P.H.C. 1930". Alexander Ernest Wardrop (1872-1961, here called "Arthur" by accident) served as Commander-in-Chief, North China Command between 1927 and 1929.Equestrian pursuits were extremely popular in the international settlements. Businessmen, diplomats, military officers, and the well-to-do used them to affirm their status and build connections, and Shanghai was perpetually gripped by a "mania" (Weirather, p. 59) for racing. Founded in 1863, the Paper Hunt Club was one of the oldest expatriate groups in the city, and by 1930 it included members from 19 different nationalities.Davis's history anthologizes a large amount of information from the club's archives, such as the names of stewards past and present, the rules of the hunt, information on preferred breeds, and poems celebrating the club's traditions. A special section pays tribute to Ah Pau, the head boy responsible for laying the paper trail for riders to follow. Ah Pau was invaluable when dealing with locals who objected to riders careering across their land: "in his dealings with his fellow countrymen, he is usually the embodiment of imperturbability and good humour, but when their rapacity and obstructiveness pass all reasonable bounds, he lashes them with sti

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.