American Book of the Dog

Here is a period piece, covering 47 breeds, about the early days of dog breeding, the birth of the American Kennel Club (1884) which firmly established breed standards, and the development of bench shows and field trials. Each article, written by a premier breed expert of the day, sheds light on how today's breeds were sculpted from the best traits of dogs of yesteryear. Old dog training theory and methods of treating disease are discussed. Editor Shields called this book (as of 1891) “the grandest work on the dog ever published.” Its various authors were part of the movement importing canine stock from Europe, often at enormous expense, and organizing national breed clubs from the various private clubs they were part of. (Summary by Michele Fry)