THE BULLDOG YEAR BOOK
AND HANDBOOK. 1932
compiled by Capt. F.E.A. Berger-Wheeler
foreword by Sam. Woodiwiss, Esq.
Bristol, England: T. & W. Goulding. 1932
Hardback. 1st edition. 128 pgs.
THIS BOOK COMES FROM THE SAMUEL W. SEIDMAN COLLECTION WHICH WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST PRIVATE BULLDOG COLLECTIONS EVER ASSEMBLED. IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE ALL THE BOOKS IN THAT LEGENDARY COLLECTION WHEN MR. SEIDMAN DIED. I HOPE THEY WILL NOW FIND THEIR WAY TO THE HOMES OF AVID BULLDOG COLLECTORS.
This very rare book contains a treasure trove of information for the Bulldog historian. Capt. Berger-Wheeler (who it should be noted was a devout collector himself) intended this to be the first in an annual series of year books. Sadly, they were only published in 1932, 1933 and 1934. (You can see copies of the other editions in our DOGCRAZY COLLECTION ebay store.) This first 1932 edition, however, proved wildly popular and was purchased not only by British fans of the breed, but by Bulldog folk around the world. The next two volumes of the book would be renamed the International Bulldog Year Books.
There are lots of photos in the book, many in ads for all the leading British kennels of the day. There are club and show reports. Berger-Wheeler has penned an article: "Be British! Buy British! The Public and the Bulldog." There's also a "Who's Who in Bulldogs," which includes articles, with photos, of the leading breeders. The standard is included along with the names and addresses of anyone who showed a Bulldog in 1932 as well as membership lists for all the clubs.
CONDITION: Good only. This book was bound in 1/4 cloth and the remainder is thin paper over boards. As so often happens, the paper portion of the covers show lots of wear. As you can see, there's soiling, staining and some chipping to the paper part of the cover, though the photo of Keysoe Golden Sovereign is in pretty good shape. There's lots of scratching to the photo on the rear cover. All the corners and edges are worn and the boards show in several places. Wear to the bottom, top and sides of the spine, though the lettering is still sharp. This was printed on high quality paper so the pages have remained clean and very bright. Front hinge showing some separation, but the binding is very tight.
