THE NEW SPORTING MAGAZINE Vols 1-15 May 1831 - December 1838 by Robert Smith (RS) Surtees - 1831

London: Baldwin & Cradock / R Ackermann / Walter Spiers, 1831. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. An unbroken run of The New Sporting Magazine from its foundation in 1831 through to December 1838, bound in 15 uniform 8vo volumes. Edited from 1831 to 1836 by RS Surtees and from 1837 by WA Chatto. Much of the magazine is written by Surtees (during and after his editorship) under a variety of pseudonyms (Jorrocks, Yorkshireman, Nim South, Nimrod, etc.). Entertainingly, these characters are often in dispute with each other and criticise each other's work, despite being by the same hand. The magazine is also notable for first publication in parts of some of Surtees' later novels, eg. Jorrocks' Jaunts And Jollities (1838) the first parts of which appear here in volume 2 (1831), predating and perhaps inspiring this method of publication for The Pickwick Papers. Though some commentators maintain that The New Sporting Magazine was largely a work of fiction, in fact it is packed with sporting reports and statistics, predominantly on hunting and racing, but also including other sports such as cricket. These volumes are uniformly bound in green half leather with marbled paper boards with gilt lining, sporting motifs to spine panels, and gilt titling on red leather labels to spine. Wear to edges and corners and some fading of leather as might be expected with age. In general good order throughout, with defects noted below. Most of the plates have been neatly removed, except as noted, but much of the interest in these volumes is, of course, in the writing. A vast amount of reading, unpublished elsewhere, for anyone with an interest in Surtees. Vols 1 to 4 published by Baldwin & Cradock, 5-12 by Ackermann, and 13-15 by Spiers. v1. 464pp + 76pp Racing Calendar bound to rear, + index, + 20pp New Game Bill bound in at front. 2 engraved plates, Dead Red Deer and Black Game. Two pages loose, one rather worn to edges. v2. engraved volume title page, 464pp + 112pp Racing Calendar, + index. v3. engraved volume title page, 476pp + 108pp Racing Calendar bound to rear, + index. One engraved plate: Wounded Mallard. v4. engraved volume title page, 460pp + 52pp Racing Calendar, + 40pp Coursing Calendar bound to rear, + index. One four page section (pp383-386) loose. Two engraved plates: Ptarmigan and The Dying Woodcock. v5. engraved volume title page, 424pp + 84pp Racing Calendar, + 32pp The Cricketers' Register 1833 bound to rear, + index. One engraved plate: The Wounded Snipe. v6. in poorer condition than the rest with missing leather from spine (laid in to volume) loose label and greater wear. Engraved volume title page, 406pp + 92pp Racing Calendar, + 40pp Coursing Calendar bound to rear, + index. One engraved plate: The Farquharson Cup. v7. engraved volume title page, 428pp + 88pp Racing Calendar, + index. One engraved plate: Red Grouse. v8. A little shaken, leather binding split at top half of front board and spine. Engraved volume title page, 392pp + 84pp Racing Calendar, + 48pp Coursing Calendar bound to rear, + index. One engraved plate: Fox And Egret. v9. engraved volume title page, 426pp + 96pp Racing Calendar bound to rear, + index. v10. Engraved volume title page, 398pp + 84pp Racing Calendar, + 44pp Coursing Calendar bound to rear, + index. v11. Engraved volume title page, 526pp + 166pp Racing Calendar, + index. One engraved plate: Fox And Partridge. v12. Engraved volume title page, 444pp + 60pp Coursing Calendar, + 20pp Winning Horses list, + index. One engraved plate: Roebuck Shooting. v13. Damp staining to prelims and engraved volume title page, 392pp + 147pp Racing Calendar, + index. v14. engraved volume title page a little foxed, 440pp + Winning Horses list and Coursing Calendar eccentrically bound, + index. v15. engraved volume title page, 396pp + 144pp Racing Calendar, + index. One engraved plate: Charles Cavendish Greville, Esq, on dulled stock. This is a charity sale on behalf of Friends of Morston Church (reg.1099831)