Wild Beasts and Their Ways

WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS : Reminiscences of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America  

The last work by Baker, published in 1890 in both a 2-volume set, and as a single-volume. 

The single-volume edition was reprinted again in 1891 and also 1898.

There is no American first edition.

The 2-volume first edition set in my collection is not as nice as the sets pictured below, which I do not own.

A seminal work by the Victorian explorer and big-game hunter. 

The book serves as both a detailed hunting memoir and a study of natural history, reflecting Baker's extensive travels across four continents.  It covers a wide range of animals including elephants, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and hippopotami.  The opening chapters provide a historical look at the evolution of rifles and firearms used for hunting dangerous game during the 19th century.  Unlike standard hunting logs of the era, Baker included deep observations on animal behavior, survival instincts, and the ethics of the "fair chase."  Baker frequently discusses the local people he encountered and their traditional hunting methods.

A Career Capstone 

After decades of exploration and hunting across the world, this work served as his definitive retrospective.  It consolidated his lifelong experiences into a single, two-volume study of the world's most dangerous game.  In his later years, Baker became a strong advocate for hunting ethics.  This book emphasizes the "fair chase" and the importance of understanding an animal's nature rather than just tallying trophies. 

Evolution of Style

While his earlier works like The Rifle and the Hound in Ceylon (1853) were more focused on the thrill of the hunt, this final work leans more toward natural history and scientific observation of animal behavior.  Baker used his final book to document the radical shift in firearms technology he witnessed, from smooth-bore muskets to high-velocity rifles, providing a historical record of Victorian ballistics. 

The "Sandford Orleigh" Era

Baker wrote this work while in retirement at his estate, Sandford Orleigh, in South Devon. Though he continued to travel to Egypt and India for winter hunting trips, Wild Beasts and Their Ways remained his last major literary contribution before he died quietly at home at the age of 72.

The single-volume first edition pictured below was once in my collection, but I sold it.