African Game Trails by Theodore Roosevelt, Scarce Syndicate Publishing Company Edition, 1910

Roosevelt, Theodore. African Game Trails. New York and London: Syndicate Publishing Company, circa 1910. Large octavo. Light brown cloth boards, front embossed in gilt, black, green, white, and red, and the spine stamped in gilt, black, and red. Profusely Illustrated with 210 illustrations, including the frontispiece, maps, photographs, and 8 color plates. 

Presented is Theodore Roosevelt’s African Game Trails published by the Syndicate Publishing Company in 1910. Issued the same year as the Scribner’s edition, this Syndicate Publishing Company edition includes 210 illustrations and maps, including many photographs and 8 color plates that Scribner's edition did not contain. The illustrations were from photographs taken by Roosevelt’s son, Kermit Roosevelt, and others on the expedition, and from drawings by Philip R. Goodwin. The book is presented in its original brown cloth boards, decorated on the front with an exciting lion hunting scene, embossed in gilt, black, green, white, and red, and the spine stamped in gilt, black, and red. 

After serving for two terms as president, Theodore Roosevelt declined to run for office again in 1908. Instead, he left for Africa in April 1909 with his son, Kermit, and a party of 250 porters and guides on a big game hunting expedition. Known for his love of the wild and the establishment of national parks, Roosevelt had a keen interest in collecting specimens for scientific study. He made an arrangement with the Smithsonian Museum (then called National Museum) for “one or two professional field taxidermists, field naturalists, to go with us, who should prepare and send back specimens we collect.” He then offered to donate the large game he planned to hunt for the museum’s natural history collection. Many of his donated specimens, including the rhinoceroses, are still at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History today. With the growing human populations expanding into these animals’ habitats, Roosevelt aimed to record information on the large mammals of East Africa before they disappear. 

Scribner’s Magazine sponsored Roosevelt with a $50,000 commission to produce twelve articles on the African safari. These articles later were published together and became African Game Trails. The narrative describes the trip in great depth, with tips for animal tracking and hunting as well as a comprehensive overview of the African landscape. While the book is primarily written about big game hunting and Roosevelt’s experiences, he also relays his ideas for the westernization of African civilizations. Over the year that Roosevelt spent in Africa, he collected over one thousand specimens including elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, and zebras. African Game Trails provides a record of early 20th century African culture and natural history through the lens of an American hunter and naturalist.

CONDITION:

Fine condition. Large octavo. Light brown cloth boards, front embossed in gilt, black, green, white, and red, and the spine stamped in gilt, black, and red. Profusely Illustrated with 210 illustrations, including the frontispiece, maps, photographs, and 8 color plates.  The boards are very clean, with only a little bumping to the spine. Gilt and embossed colors are very vibrant and bright. The binding is tight and internally, the pages are clean and bright, with only two small stains in page margins. All illustrations, maps, and color plates accounted for. 

Dimensions: 9 1/2” H x 6 7/8” W x 1 11/16” D. 

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.