Latham, Simon

Latham's Falconry, or The Faulcons Lure, and Cure, in two books. London: Thomas Harper for John Harison, 1633



4to (7 1/2 x 5 7/8 in.; 190 x 150 mm). Woodcut title vignette on first title and printer's vignette on second title, several small woodcut text illustrations in second part, decorative woodcut initials; light dampstain in lower margin of first few leaves with pen-trials in second leaf, fore-margin of title creased, very occasional marginal spots, clean tear in fore-margin of page 89 in the first part entering but not obscuring text, dampstain in upper outer corner of last quire, clean tears in outer margin of a few leaves in second part. Contemporary limp vellum, ms. title on spine.

Harting 20; Schwerdt I, p. 302; STC 15267.7 & 15268.7; see Oxford DNB (on Latham)

light dampstain in lower margin of first few leaves with pen-trials in second leaf, fore-margin of title creased, very occasional marginal spots, clean tear in fore-margin of page 89 in the first part entering but not obscuring text, dampstain in upper outer corner of last quire, clean tears in outer margin of a few leaves in second part.
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First collected edition, " ... among the principal books on hawking in the English language" (Schwerdt). 

Nothing is known of Latham's life (d. 1649?) but he may have been the nephew of, and was probably connected with, Lewis Latham of Elveston, Bedfordshire, a professional falconer who rose through the ranks to become serjeant of his majesty's hawks in 1627. He dedicated his treatise on falconry to Sir Thomas Monson, master of the king's hawks, but there is no evidence in the state records to support suggestions that he was employed as a royal falconer. Latham acknowledged that he was introduced to falconry by Henry Sadleir of Eversley, the third son of Sir Ralph Sadleir of Standon, master of the hawks, and that he wrote about falconry in response to the suggestion of a friend.

His book is an original contribution of practical and lasting value. The first part is a highly specialized study of how to train the haggard peregrine, that is, a falcon which has been trapped as an adult as distinct from one taken from the nest before it can fly. This was followed by a more conventional review of methods to prevent and treat disease in hawks and the discussion was extended to include goshawks, sparrowhawks, and lanner falcons.

The first volume was first published in 1615, and the second volume in 1618. The present edition is the first collected edition, using the same woodblocks and according to Harting 'quite as good as the first, of which it is a reprint without alteration'.