Our Favorite Things #3: A Dog Genealogy

In this reoccurring series, members of the Special Collections staff will introduce some of our favorite objects found in the stacks of Special Collections at Princeton.

Eric White, Scheide Librarian | “Eddlethorpe : a list of Sir M.M. Sykes’s fox-hounds. May 1st, 1817”

Eric, what do you do at Princeton?

I curate rare books (mainly European) in Special Collections.

And what is one of your favorite things?

Eddlethorpe : a list of Sir M.M. Sykes’s fox-hounds. May 1st, 1817 (item 7518052)

How did you first come to see this item?

I helped [Special Collections] purchase it.

What are three words you would use to describe it?

Enchanting, Fun, Unusual

And why is it one of your favorite things?

This little book is a list of the names of all the champion hunting dogs owned by a great English book collector, who also had a Gutenberg Bible, etc. The dogs names are listed alphabetically, which tells you who their mother was. If her name started with E, so do those of all her puppies. It’s a genealogy of the whole kennel. The names are AMAZING.

Anything else you’d like to share?

This may be the only surviving copy.

Thanks for sharing Eric! Learn more about seeing this item for yourself on the access service page of the Special Collections website.