Arrian on Coursing

The qualities of a good greyhound give this annotated translation its focus. Arrian writes about coursing as practised in the age of Hadrian, when the Celtic hound was highly valued. Alongside the ancient treatise, the translator gathers passages from Greek and Roman authors and observations from later sporting writers. The result brings the practical concerns of the chase into close contact with the study of old books.

Much of the interest lies in how these sources are compared. The preface follows references to hunting dogs through poetry and sporting manuals, while the notes examine animal descriptions, disputed terms and the interpretation of a biblical passage. A sketch of Arrian's life and writings and an appendix on the hunting dogs of antiquity extend the volume's scope. For readers interested in greyhounds or the history of field sports, it offers a detailed example of sporting knowledge collected and debated across centuries.