A General System Of Horsemanship By William Cavendish
A General System Of Horsemanship (Facsimile Edition)
A Monumental Landmark in Equestrian Literature and Humane Training, Illustrated with 42 Seventeenth-Century Engravings
A Monumental Landmark in Equestrian Literature and Humane Training, Illustrated with 42 Seventeenth-Century Engravings
Bibliographic Specifications
• Title: A General System Of Horsemanship
• Author: William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle (With a Modern Introduction by William Steinkraus)
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books, North Pomfret, Vermont
• Publication Date: 2012
• ISBN-10: 1570765538
• ISBN-13: 9781570765537
• Edition Details: Facsimile Reproduction of the Historic 1743 London Edition, Premium Softcover Release.
• Binding: Original publisher's premium heavy-gauge illustrated card wrappers with a reinforced laminated exterior.
• Physical Format: Large Quarto (4to), 140 pages. Magnificently enhanced with 42 historic seventeenth-century engravings, architectural diagrams, and intricate anatomical riding layouts meticulously reproduced from the legendary original plates.
• Language: English
• Title: A General System Of Horsemanship
• Author: William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle (With a Modern Introduction by William Steinkraus)
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books, North Pomfret, Vermont
• Publication Date: 2012
• ISBN-10: 1570765538
• ISBN-13: 9781570765537
• Edition Details: Facsimile Reproduction of the Historic 1743 London Edition, Premium Softcover Release.
• Binding: Original publisher's premium heavy-gauge illustrated card wrappers with a reinforced laminated exterior.
• Physical Format: Large Quarto (4to), 140 pages. Magnificently enhanced with 42 historic seventeenth-century engravings, architectural diagrams, and intricate anatomical riding layouts meticulously reproduced from the legendary original plates.
• Language: English
Official Condition Report
• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
o Exterior / Wraps: The heavy illustrated card wrappers are in highly attractive condition, holding excellent structural flatness. The covers display only minimal, highly limited edge-friction and minor shelf-rubbing consistent with careful studio storage. The spine remains completely solid, unbroken, and undamaged, showing no vertical reading creases, vertical stress lines, or lean.
o Interior: Exceptionally clean, tight, and crisp. The internal pages, master plates, and text blocks are bright white and completely free of aging defects such as foxing, finger-soil, or corner creasing. Free of previous owner gift plates, ink library stamps, or dealer pencil notations. The large-format binding structure remains uniform and secure.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
o Exterior / Wraps: The heavy illustrated card wrappers are in highly attractive condition, holding excellent structural flatness. The covers display only minimal, highly limited edge-friction and minor shelf-rubbing consistent with careful studio storage. The spine remains completely solid, unbroken, and undamaged, showing no vertical reading creases, vertical stress lines, or lean.
o Interior: Exceptionally clean, tight, and crisp. The internal pages, master plates, and text blocks are bright white and completely free of aging defects such as foxing, finger-soil, or corner creasing. Free of previous owner gift plates, ink library stamps, or dealer pencil notations. The large-format binding structure remains uniform and secure.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Originally compiled during his continental exile with King Charles II during the Cromwellian rebellion, William Cavendish’s A General System Of Horsemanship stands as one of the most breathtakingly beautiful books on horses ever created, as well as a foundational landmark in global equestrian technique. First published in French in 1658 and translated into this massive English edition in 1743, the book revolutionized horsemanship by firmly rejecting brute force in favor of systematic, psychological, and profoundly humane training methodologies.
Originally compiled during his continental exile with King Charles II during the Cromwellian rebellion, William Cavendish’s A General System Of Horsemanship stands as one of the most breathtakingly beautiful books on horses ever created, as well as a foundational landmark in global equestrian technique. First published in French in 1658 and translated into this massive English edition in 1743, the book revolutionized horsemanship by firmly rejecting brute force in favor of systematic, psychological, and profoundly humane training methodologies.
This 2012 Trafalgar Square facsimile reproduction carefully preserves the entire legacy of the original work, including its historic text and all 42 superb, world-renowned seventeenth-century copperplate engravings. Cavendish’s prose—interwoven with a sharp wit reflecting his status as a legendary patron of Ben Jonson and John Dryden—delivers classical dressage principles that still underpin modern haute école riding traditions today. Introduced by legendary Olympic equestrian William Steinkraus, this out-of-print masterpiece bridges the gap between Baroque courtly art and tactical ballistic horsemanship. It remains a magnificent collectible asset for horse enthusiasts, art historians, and bibliophiles seeking an unattainable classic.
Author Profile: William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1592–1676) was a towering English polymath, Royalist general, courtier, and aristocrat whose artistic and martial genius defined the Caroline era. Born into the exceptionally wealthy Cavendish dynasty of Yorkshire, he distinguished himself as a poet, playwright, master swordsman, architect, diplomat, and horseman. During the English Civil War, he served as Charles I's General of the North before his exile in Antwerp, where he established a world-famous riding academy that drew monarchs and masters from across Europe. His enduring literary and historical legacy remains permanently anchored to his dual mastery of arms and letters, securing his position as the ultimate personification of the Renaissance Cavalier.
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1592–1676) was a towering English polymath, Royalist general, courtier, and aristocrat whose artistic and martial genius defined the Caroline era. Born into the exceptionally wealthy Cavendish dynasty of Yorkshire, he distinguished himself as a poet, playwright, master swordsman, architect, diplomat, and horseman. During the English Civil War, he served as Charles I's General of the North before his exile in Antwerp, where he established a world-famous riding academy that drew monarchs and masters from across Europe. His enduring literary and historical legacy remains permanently anchored to his dual mastery of arms and letters, securing his position as the ultimate personification of the Renaissance Cavalier.
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