Between the Covers

Hardcover. Oblong octavo (8” x 5”). String-tied cloth album, with “Beery Exhibitions 1911” stamped on front cover. Contains 52 gelatin silver prints, each measuring 3½” x 5½”, neatly mounted on the rectos and versos of thick gray paper leaves. Most are captioned in the photograph with white lettering. Front joint partly split, light fraying at the edges, cover lettering is faded, very good.

A well-compiled collection of Professor Beery’s Wild West exhibitions: subduing thoroughbred stallions (including the “Wells Outlaw” horse from Iowa), colt training, throwing a bad horse, bronco busting, riding a bucker, etc., all performed at his hometown in Pleasant Hill, Ohio. Also included are portraits of Beery and his assistant Roy Coppock, together with images of a large group of students for horse training, a few local street scenes, and a group portrait of both Beery’s student baseball team and the Pleasant Hill baseball team.

Beery (1861-1945) was a celebrated American horse trainer from Pleasant Hill, whose training methods were popularized through his book *Prof. Beery’s Mail Course in Horsemanship* (1908). He also invented an improved horse bit, known as the “Beery Bit” or “Four-in-One Bit.”

A remarkable album of photographs from Beery’s home town, featuring many spirited and striking images of his rodeo show and horse training methods.

Item #549640