The Pigeoncote Bookstore

Couriers of the SkyMary Graham Bonner

This is the first edition and is in very good condition, but the pages do show some tanning due to age.  It is not an ex-library issue and has no detracting markings.  It would be excellent, except that the pages have started to tan. The jacket  unfortunately is only good.

$45 1st Edition, 1944 Very good hardback with a jacket that I can't quite describe as good but certainly is not poor either. 6oz

This second printing from 1945 is on a blue board with an imprinted pigeon as shown in the scan.  It is very nearly identical to the 1944 edition above. It is not an ex-library issue and has no detracting markings.  It would be excellent, except that the pages have started to tan.

 $25 2nd printing 1945, Very Good, no jacket.

Fancy Pigeon StandardsD. F. Ison

1984 Edition in excellent would be mint except for its age condition, but only a good jacket. The jacket has some wrinkles on the back side near the spine. This is the standard guide, pun intended, for the less common breeds found in America.

A Fancy for PigeonsJack Kligerman

Perhaps no other bird has exerted such a strong influence on the imagination of western civilization as the pigeon, or its symbolic ancestor, the dove. The ancient Hebrews celebrated it as a symbol of love and fertility, while the Greeks believed that it carried the original source of life.

Man's fascination with pigeons bore practical aspects, too. The homing instinct (which still escapes scientific explanation) and the grace and quickness of pigeons in flight made them invaluable in wartime.

Kligerman begins his journey into the world of pigeons with the words of Pat Sottile, a devoted Brooklyn pigeon fancier: "On the roof . . . you're a natural enemy. In the streets you're friends. But... on the roof . . . its dog eat dog. You raise up your flock? I'm gonna raise up mine ... to get yours. 'Here we are introduced to Greenpoint's own special breed of pigeon fancier and la guerra, the pigeon game as it is played in New York'.

In Belgium, the pigeon-racing capital of the world, however, the pigeon fanciers are of another class altogether. Here, crack Racing Homers are raised in aristocratic circles where gentility reigns supreme. In Europe, too, we learn of the fabulous dovecotes of centuries ago that housed thousands of pigeons at once.

If the history and lore of pigeons are rich, then certainly A Fancy for Pigeons reflects the phenomenon. Whether Kligerman is bringing to us the excitement of pigeon-racing, the painstaking preparation involved in showing pigeons, or the colorful personalities of those who have become enamored of this fabulous bird, he presents his subject with charm and contagious admiration. Including valuable information on the craft of raising pigeons and appendixes of the major pigeon associations and journals, they are all here-Tumblers, Flights, Homers, and Pouters-superbly illustrated and lovingly described in this truly unique birding adventure."

A good read for anyone. Not just the pigeon fancier.

Los Angeles Pigeon Club Bulletin: November 1959

National Young Bird Show: Catalogs

NPA Encyclopedia Of Pigeon Standards

NPA Grand National Show & Convention;

Sold

National Pigeon Association Yearbook:

Pageant of Pigeons

PigeonsDorothy Hinshaw Patent, William Munoz (Illustrator)

Chas. Siegal & Son R-67 CatalogSiegal's

As the title page proclaim, Chas. Siegel's was America's largest pigeon supply house and one of the oldest as well. This catalog was published when catalogs were still substantial, and this one numbered R-67 was most probably published for that year, but certainly no later than 1971 as determined by the selling price of APJ's at $3 per year. APJ's went to $4 per year in January of 1972. It is a very good source of pigeon memorabilia and even some comical relief. The change in pricing is always interesting. For just one example the small leg message bands used by the armed services during WWII were $4.75 per dozen. Today, when you can find one, they are closer to $15 each.