The End of the Game by Peter Beard, Signed 1st Edition with Drawing

The End of the Game by Peter Beard

First Edition, First Printing, 1965

Signed with Drawing by Peter Beard

This is a very rare signed first edition, first printing of Peter Beard’s highly acclaimed photobook  “The End of the Game” published by The Viking Press, New York in 1965. Focusing on the widespread destruction of the African elephant, Beard tells of the enterprisers, explorers, missionaries, and big-game hunters whose quests for progress and adventure were to change the face of Africa for ever. David Levi Strauss in “The Book of 101 Books: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century” wrote, “In addition to being singularly beautiful, “The End of the Game” is thoughtful as well. Long taken as a seminal book on wildlife conservation, it is actually an epic visual poem on the subject of the loss, especially the ultimate loss of life…The book is philosophical about the rapid despoliation of East African wildlife, especially the elephants. “Death”, writes Beard in his introduction, “is the patiently awaited, unfeared fact of delicately poised African life.” On its publication in 1965, Beard's book was immediately acclaimed, with not one but two glowing reviews in The New York Times.

Featuring 75 black-and-white and color photographic plates along with numerous in-text illustrations and measuring approximately 11” x 9.5”, the book is bound in gray cloth covered boards with a photographically illustrated dust jacket. The condition of the book is FINE with two very superficial spots on the side edge. The plates are in incredible condition. There is no foxing and the images are exceptionally bright. The dust jacket is not price clipped and is in Near FINE+ condition with a small chip to the back cover and the most minimal of edge wear. The dust jacket is protected by a mylar covering.

The book has been inscribed, dated, and initialed by Peter Beard who has also hand drawn an elephant as part of the signature treatment. Overall, this is an exceptional copy of a critically acclaimed photobook that is quite rare signed. Currently, there is only one other signed copy of this title available on the market.

Cited in both “The Book of 101 Books: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century” and the “Open Book” by Andrew Roth.

Photographs of the front and rear of the dust jacket, the signature treatment, as well as photographs contained in the book appear below. Please note that although the photographs appear digitized as thumbnails, they are viewable in the photo viewer by running your mouse over the thumbnail. You can also click on any of the thumbnails to open a separate window where the pictures are viewable as a slideshow.