Be they Borzoi, Azawakh or Afghan,
Sloughi or Saluki, Whippet or Galgo,
Lurcher, Cirnecho dell Etna, Polish Chart,
Pharoah Hound or Podenco,
Deerhound, Greyhound, or Irish Wolfhound,
Magyar, Agaror, Italian Greyhound -
t h i s i s t h e i r b o o k !
This is to tell you of the publication of an important collector's item and indispensible reference work:
O U R L E V R I E R S
THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
OF ALL SIGHTHOUNDS
by Xavier Przezdziecki
- a legendary text first published in French in 1984 as "Le Destin des Levriers", and only now receiving its definitive English translation in a limited, numbered edition.
All of the author's illustrations are reproduced - 18 in colour with 64 specially commissioned line drawings and 38 black and white illustrations - and the format has been enlarged to a generous format of 8.5 by 11 inches.
This collector's item, running to 272 pages, is issued in soft covers in an edition strictly limited to 1,000 hand-numbered copies.
and please, help spread the word... perhaps you would be so kind as to let other enthusiasts know of this publication... forward this page to your friends!ABOUT THE BOOK....
Take this passage by Monty Roberts, who, having explained the appearance, disappearance and reappearance of the horse in North America, goes on to say: "The American mustang has become a diversified genetic entity: tough, highly intelligent, and blessed with physical attributes often superior to most of our domestic breeds. The Mustang's physiological make-up tends to help them overcome illness or injury; in this regard, the domestic horse pales in comparison."
Xavier Przezdziecki traces the obscure origins of the Gazehound, Sighthound or Levrier from the Orient to Africa through all their many diversities and comes to very much the same conclusions.
Unsurpassed since its first publication in French in 1984, rare enough to have justified a reprint last year, this fascinating, visionary and thorough treatment of the history, morphology, iconography - and destiny - of the Levrier has never till now been available to the English-speaking world.
Commissioned by Mme. Agnès Rey, the widow of the author, this complete new translation is the work of Cambridge alumnus, writer and broadcaster Jonathon Brown.For the Translator's Introduction, click here!
New introductory material includes an important essay by Shelley Donnelly. Entitled Sighthound, Gazehound, Greyhound, Levrier... all of these or any of these?, it investigates the tantalizing mystery of the Levrier and the implications of the 'destiny of the Levrier', a phrase that contains a hidden motif that needs to be understood.
In addition, Grian Wharton adds an introduction, placing the ideas and vision of Przezdziecki in the contemporary scene.
Przezdziecki had a vision : that the Levrier is a breed apart :This is the account of that vision.
Whatever your dog be, Sighthound or Gazehound, Greyhound or Whippet - no one word will quite contain the scope of the vision of this book and the use of the generic word Levrier is designed to reflect that fact - or indeed if your interest is in a tale of exploration & investigation into history & zoology, you will love this book.
It includes a complete list of Types and a blend of science and romanticism that is apt for its subject!
Writing in DOG WORLD, Joanna Russell remarks that, "The author traces the obscure origins of the gazehound through all its many diversities. [...] Grian Wharton, whom many of you will know, has done the introduction, placing the ideas and vision of the author in the contemporary scene." She goes on to quote a review of the French edition in the magazine Mammalia: Greyhounds are usually considered as a group of breeds of dog with some shared morphological characteristics that therefore mostly stem from the same origins. The author has the deep conviction that greyhounds are a species apart and endeavours to bring us round to his way of thinking.And she adds, "This book sounds a must, particularly for those who have always doubted that the greyhound/terrier created the whippet!"
That review in Mamalia concluded by saying that Przezdziecki "recounts their history with passion, a history that began some 9,000 years ago. Neolithic artists featured greyhounds in their rock art in the mountain ranges of the Sahara. The different phases of the greyhound's history are those of our very own history.
"There surely exists no more complete or better illustrated work dedicated to the greyhound, an animal for which the author wishes, and justly so, a special destiny."
Sir Terence Clark, student of the desert-bred Saluki, has this to say:
"The moment I started reading this book I knew it was written by a kindred spirit. On my return from years in the Middle East I too was struck by the gulf that had opened up between the true Salukis of the desert and those in the West. With this book Xavier Przezdziecki offers an erudite appraisal of the Saluki which deserves to reach the wider readership of the English-speaking world."
Przezdziecki opens with the earliest known image of a Levrier, 9,000 years old;and he closes with a French translation of the second century treatise On Hunting with Hounds by the Roman historian and statesman Flavius Arrian.
Publishers Aris & Phillips have kindly given permission to reproduce the new translation by Malcolm Willcock of this classical text, the earliest document in the history of the animal.
Please forward this message to anyone who may be interested...individuals, your local club or notice-boards.
Digest of "Our levriers"
Part One
History and the Levrier
Archaeology and Prehistory
Antiquity
The Levrier in Pharaonic Times
Ancient Greece
The Roman Period
The Levrier of Today
Historical Research
An Historical Account of Types
An Historical Account of Breeds
Part Two
Cynology and the Levrier
The Cynological Characteristics of the Levrier
Research Into Origins
Types
Safeguarding the Levrier
Maps, Bibliography etc