8vo, (142 x 90 mm). 8 ff., 172 ff., 4 ff. Stiff vellum with remnants of spine label, all edges red, title worn at edges, early owner's inscription on title, occasional dampstaining and foxing, a few gatherings toned, faint early underlining throughout.

The title itself presents the dog and horse as "fidelissimos amigos de los hombres," reflecting the central place occupied by these animals in early modern society.

Written by the Valladolid cleric and humanist Luis Pérez, the work achieved considerable distinction, although not printed again until a 19th century reprint. In the introduction to that edition, José Gutiérrez de la Vega praised it as an “obra modelo de habla castellana” and a “tesoro de conocimientos históricos especiales”.

The book occupies an important place in the history of Spanish cynological and equestrian literature. Palau notes that it treats the breeding of dogs and horses, the cure of their diseases, and the practical advantages derived from them, while Salvá characterized it as an “obrita rara”.

Pérez examines the nature, breeding, intelligence, virtues, uses, and ailments of dogs and horses, supplementing classical learning with contemporary observation and anecdotal evidence. The resulting work provides an unusually rich view of sixteenth-century Iberian attitudes toward animal behavior, training, utility, and the relationship between humans and domesticated animals.

Provenance: Dukes of T’Serclaes, by descent until recently; offered with a Spanish export license.

Extremely rare: we are able to locate a single copy in the United States, at Michigan; a handful of copies in European libraries.

Palau, 219387: “se trata de la cría del perro y del caballo de curar sus enfermedades, y de las ventajas y provechos que puede sacar el labrador de esos dos animales”; Salva 2658. Gutiérrez de la Vega, José. Prólogo de la segunda edición del Can y del Caballo. Seville: E. Rasco, 1889.