Lot 173 , Batten, John. The Best of Sheep Hunting. Illustrated from Drawings by Gordon Allen and with color frontispieces of paintings by Carl Rungius and Henry Adamson from the author’s private collection. 2 volumes, Amwell Press

° Batten, John. The Best of Sheep Hunting. Illustrated from Drawings by Gordon Allen and with color frontispieces of paintings by Carl Rungius and Henry Adamson from the author’s private collection. 2 volumes, Amwell Press, Clinton, New Jersey, 1981. Original cloth bindings, gilt, in slip case.
* Number JHB-13 of a limited edition of 1,000 copies signed by the author, the artist and Jim Rikhoff, President of the National Sporting fraternity limited.With an additional presentation inscription to Malcolm Lyell on the limitation leaf and another discourse to him on sporting books written on two photocopied pages from a Rowland Ward book list. Batten, John. Skyline Pursuits. Illustrated with original line drawings by Gordon Allen, Jr. with a special forty-page photographic section from the author’s private collection. Color frontispiece by Carl Rungius. Amwell Press, Clinton, New Jersey, 1981. Original cloth binding, gilt, in slip case.
* Number JHB-13 of a limited edition of 1,000 copies signed by the author, the artist and Jim Rikhoff, President of the National Sporting fraternity limited. With an additional presentation inscription to Malcolm Lyell on the limitation leaf. Together with, Valdez, Raul. The Wild Sheep of the World. With a Chapter on Hunting by John H. Batten. 4to., Mesilla, New Mexico, 1982. Publisher’s quarter leather binding. * One of a limited edition of 250 copies signed by the author, this copy unnumbered, but with a presentation inscription from him on the second free endpaper. Clark, James L. The Great Arc of the Wild Sheep. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1964. Original cloth binding in chipped and slightly faded dust wrapper. (4).
Malcolm Lyell (1922-2011) a good shot, a fisherman, a naturalist, a gardener, a hunter, an adventurer, and a raconteur who has been described as having been the doyen of the London gun trade.

After being educated at Bryanston and Westminster School, he took a degree in forestry at Bangor University in 1943 and worked as a forester until 1947 when he became the manager of Westley Richards London showrooms.

In 1955 when the parent company made the decision to close the London showrooms, Malcolm sought the backing of British and American sportsmen to finance his takeover of the business and established Westley Richards (Agency). Soon after acquiring it he bought Jeffery’s the gun-makers, and later Farlow’s, the fishing tackle specialists.

The ultimate salesman, he not only had a comprehensive knowledge but also loved and was proud of what he was offering for sale. Over the next twelve years he developed, expanded, and advanced the business with great panache and the able assistance of his wife Rosamunde (they married in 1949).

His success brought its own reward, in 1959 Holland and Holland invited him to merge his company with theirs and he became the managing director of the new enterprise. By the time of his retirement in 1988, he had acquired a plethora of clients many of whom became great friends; they included kings and princes, maharajahs, presidents, and prime ministers. Hollywood stars, white hunters, sportsmen and trophy collectors fell under his spell and with Rosamunde and his two daughters Caroline and Harmony he travelled the world combining business with pleasure.

Malcolm was born a collector, as a boy he collected objects to exhibit and opened his own “museum” in his parents’ house in South Kensington (admission to it cost the viewer one penny). Throughout his life his own houses became filled with treasures gathered from across the globe.

His passion and the intense enjoyment that he derived from his collection can be seen in the ephemera and the considered personal notes and annotations that he added to most of his books.

£150-200

Sold for £160