Snaffles — My Sketch Book in the Shiny

London, Gale & Polden, Ltd, 1930. Cloth. An excellent signed second edition of Snaffles" collection of sketches of the sporting habits of the British in India, inscribed by the author, and in the original dust wrapper. The second edition. The author's presentation copy, inscribed by the author to the half title: "To E. H. Tomlinson from Snaffles".  A work containing numerous full plate and vignette sketches of sporting life in India, including depictions of hoghunting, horses, polo and pigsticking. This is the work of Charles "Snaffles" Johnson Payne, an English painter known for his humorous work and for his outstanding draughtsmanship and depiction of the horse in action. Snaffles specialised in water colours and drawings sold as prints which, at least initially, were hand-coloured by the artist and his sisters. His subject matter was invariably military, racing or hunting and equestrian scenes, or some combination of these. Many of his most famous pictures contrast or combine military life with the peacetime pursuits of racing and hunting. In the publisher"s original cloth with the original, well preserved, unclipped dust wrapper.  In the publisher"s original cloth with the original unclipped dust wrapper. Externally lovely. The wrap is very smart with fading and a closed tear to the spine, with the odd slight mark, and minor small closed tears to the extremities. Internally firmly bound with bright pages with minor spotting to the front and rear, otherwise clean, with owner"s signature and author"s inscription to the half title. Near Fine . Ill.: Snaffles. Near Fine/Very Good.