Deadfalls and Snares

Arthur Robert HardingProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 197K words
Chapters: 20

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Deadfalls and Snares by A. R. HardingAuthor: Harding, A. R. (Arthur Robert), 1871-1930,Language: English, Class: SK: Agriculture: Hunting sports, Release Date: Oct 21, 2010

Editor's review

This book is A. R. Harding's practical manual on trapping and snaring, an early work in the craft of hunting. Its value lies in systematically recording how various traps are constructed and set, reflecting the state of hunting and wilderness-survival knowledge in early twentieth-century North America. For today's readers, the book is closer to a source in the history of technology and folklore: it shows how people in the pre-industrial era relied on simple materials to take game, and conveys the field observation and manual experience involved. The content is highly specialized and operationally explicit, requiring relevant background knowledge and judgment. It suits readers interested in traditional hunting skills, the history of wilderness survival, or vernacular technology as a reference to browse, but it should not be treated as a guide for modern outdoor activities. While reading, focus on the period conditions and changing ethics behind the technical details, and understand this kind of knowledge in its historical context with a critical eye.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in traditional hunting skills and the history of wilderness survival
Collectors of material on vernacular technology or folklore history
Hobbyists who enjoy hands-on making and learning the principles of simple traps
Popular-science readers concerned with the changing relationship between humans and nature

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking guidance on modern legal hunting regulations
Beginners with little field experience who might copy the book's methods directly
Readers uncomfortable with content about trapping animals

Reading tips

Read the table of contents first to understand the classification of traps, then choose chapters of interest.
Keep the historical background in mind while reading and distinguish historical techniques from modern regulations.
Understand the methods as historical technical material and do not imitate them directly.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can this book be used as a modern hunting guide?

Not recommended. The book records early hunting techniques from an era whose laws, ethics, and ecological conditions differ greatly from today's. Modern hunting is governed by strict legal and safety requirements, and readers should learn through proper channels, treating this book as historical technical material rather than an operations manual.

Are the trap-making methods in the book safe?

The methods are records of historical techniques involving rope, wood, and trigger mechanisms; actual use carries safety risks and may violate local laws. Read for the principles and historical context, and do not attempt to make or set traps without professional guidance and legal permission.

What background should readers have to start with this book?

It suits readers who already have some interest in the history of wilderness survival, traditional crafts, or folklore studies. Readers with no relevant background may find the content obscure; it is advisable to gain some field knowledge and historical context first, then browse it as reference material.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Arthur Robert Harding Author · American · 1871–1930

Arthur Robert Harding (1871–1930), commonly known as A. R. Harding, was an American author and publisher born in Gallia County, Ohio. He founded the magazines Hunter-Trader-Trapper and Fur-Fish-Game and ran the A. R. Harding Publishing Company, long engaged in writing and issuing practical books on trapping and outdoor life. Seven of his works are included here, covering wolf and coyote trapping, fox trapping, mink trapping, deadfalls and snares, steel traps, fur farming, and medicinal plants such as ginseng; his representative titles include Wolf and Coyote Trapping and Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants. Written mostly as how-to guides for hunters, trappers, and fur farmers, these books are plain in style and specific in method, reflecting the practical knowledge demanded by rural life and the fur trade in early twentieth-century America. Public information on the remaining details of his life is limited.