Bibliothèque mondiale du cheval

« As there does not appear to be at this time any connected history of the advancement of horse knowledge in the world, and thinking such might be useful, I have endeavoured to supply this defect, in an imperfect way, by placing together and arranging, as well as I could, the matter which presented to me, or my reading had supplied me with, forming it into a separate book, and hoping it may in some degree contribute to the better knowledge of this animal, his milder treatment, and the advancement of the interests of society in his use.
My first intention in writing it was merely to give it as a short introduction to the anatomy of this animal as it formerly stood in Rees’s Cyclopaedia, where it appeared in a very concise manner about sixteen years ago : being desirous of publishing that article again separately, I began upon this history as introductory to it, but finding it extend beyond the limits I had at all intended, I changed my plan, and determined on making it a distinct Treatise, and was obliged therefore to reprint the title and the first two or three pages. Having premised these circumstances, I shall not detain the reader longer by any prefatory matter, or take up his time by the unprofitable ceremonies of an adulatory dedication.
I divide the matter of this History into two parts, in order to give it more clearness; the first contains the History of the Horse from the earliest times to the decline of the Roman Empire : the second including from the decay of the Roman Empire to the present period. […] » Présentation de l’éditeur (1824)