Steel Traps

Arthur Robert HardingProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 279K words
Chapters: 28

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.Steel Traps by A. R. HardingAuthor: Harding, A. R. (Arthur Robert), 1871-1930,Language: English, Class: SK: Agriculture: Hunting sports, Release Date: Nov 7, 2010

Editor's review

This book is an early practical manual of hunting and trapping technique, covering the types, construction, setting, and use of steel traps, along with observation of target animals' habits and field experience. As a publication from the early twentieth century, it preserves the original appearance of trapping methods of that era and has documentary value for studying the evolution of traditional hunting tools, rural life history, and naturalist practice. The text consists mainly of operational instructions with classified descriptions, clearly organized and suitable as a reference book. It need not be read from cover to cover; readers can look up entries by trap type or target animal. Note that many trapping methods in the book no longer comply with today's animal welfare standards and wildlife protection laws; readers should regard it as a historical document and should not copy the procedures.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Historical readers interested in traditional hunting tools and rural life history
Enthusiasts studying the evolution of naturalist and field techniques
Writers and collectors who need reference material on early trapping equipment
Advanced English readers who enjoy practical manuals in the original

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking modern legal hunting guidance
Readers concerned with animal welfare who dislike hunting content
Beginners with weak English reading skills who need a Chinese parallel text

Reading tips

Treat it as a reference book: read the table of contents first, then jump to chapters by trap type or animal species.
Take terminology notes as you read, organizing trap names and setting procedures for later reference.
Read it against modern wildlife protection regulations to identify practices that are no longer acceptable.
Understand the operational descriptions only; do not actually attempt the steps in the book.

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

Is this book suitable for learning to hunt by following it?

Not recommended. Its content reflects early twentieth-century trapping practice, and many methods and uses of equipment are now restricted by wildlife protection laws and animal welfare standards. It is better read and studied as a historical document and reference material than used as an operational guide.

Can I read this book if my English is not good?

This is an original English text, mainly expository prose with fairly uncomplicated sentences, but it contains many technical terms for equipment and animals. Readers with average English can manage with a dictionary and glossary; those who depend entirely on Chinese are not well suited to reading it directly.

Do I need to read it from beginning to end?

No. The book consists mainly of classified descriptions and operational instructions, and the chapters are relatively independent, making it suitable for lookup as needed. Readers can skim the table of contents, identify the trap types or animal chapters of interest, and read those selectively for greater efficiency.

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.