Arrian on Coursing

This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design. This learned work opens as both a translation and a defense of Arrian's Cynegeticus, a classical treatise on hare-coursing and the greyhound written for devoted sportsmen. It gathers Greek and Roman references, practical notes, and historical commentary to trace the noble Celtic hound from antiquity through late Roman writers such as Gratius, Ovid, Martial, Pollux, Oppian, and Nemesian, then forward through the sparse medieval and Renaissance literature that followed. Along the way, it surveys English, French, and continental hunting manuals, legal notices, and courtly texts, praising their preservation of kennel lore, breeding, training, and the greyhound's distinctive form, even when they only partly address the leash. The book also argues that coursing is a gentlemanly recreation: temperate, healthful, mentally improving, and compatible with civilized life when practiced in moderation. It answers moral objections with classical and philosophical authority, then culminates in a bibliographic survey of hunting, falconry, fishing, and canine care, complete with illustrations and a catalogue of rare editions and manuscripts.