The Draft Horse Primer (1977) — Maurice Telleen | Illustrated, DJ

A classic of horse-powered farming, The Draft Horse Primer teaches the care, training, and safe use of work horses and mules. Maurice Telleen explains breeds, harness, equipment, and day-to-day skills with photos and diagrams you can actually use.

Today, with renewed interest in sustainable agriculture and homesteading, this handbook still earns a spot in any serious rural skills library. Clean, photo-verified, and ready for your shelf or gift list.

Quick Specs

• Size: 10x7x1
• Material: Cloth boards, paper pages
• Color: Tan boards; color photo dust jacket
• Origin or Maker: Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA
• Year or Era: 1977
• Genre: Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Equestrian Reference
• Page Count: 386 pages
• Identifiers: ISBN 0-87857-161-2; LCCN 77-898

Edition & Features

• Edition/Printing: Second printing (number line begins with “2”)
• Dust Jacket: Present and not price-clipped ($10.95 on flap)
• Illustrations/Maps/Plates: Extensively illustrated with b/w photographs, drawings, and equipment diagrams; includes index
• Extras: Printed on recycled paper (noted by publisher)

Condition

• Grade: Good+ (book) / Good (dust jacket)
• Notes: Tight binding; clean, unmarked text. Top edge shows scattered foxing/age spotting (see photos). Corners lightly bumped. Dust jacket with edge wear, small chips, and short closed tears at spine ends and top edge; mild rubbing and toning to flaps

See all photos for detail—sold as pictured.

Condition Grade Key
Near Fine: minimal wear; tight; clean.
Very Good: light wear; clean text; minor flaws.
Good: noticeable wear; sound reading copy; some marks.
Fair: heavy wear; complete but worn; priced accordingly.

About the Author: Maurice Telleen

Maurice Telleen wrote extensively about work horses and the craft of horse-powered farming, drawing on practical experience to produce clear, reliable guidance for farmers and homesteaders.

Ready to use as a field reference or to anchor a rural-skills shelf—claim this one before another collector does.

Disclaimer

The vintage items I share with you have been previously owned and loved. As is typical for vintage pieces, they may show some wear.

Please use the pictures as a guide. While I do my best to capture colors accurately, your monitor or device screen may display colors slightly differently from the actual item.

Care & Handling: Shelve upright away from direct sun; target ~68°F and 40–50% RH. Handle with clean, dry hands.

Please note: If you have any questions or need more photos, ask.

About Reading Vintage

At Reading Vintage, I curate one-of-a-kind treasures for book lovers, decorators, and collectors—including vintage books, retro bookends, and charming collectible pieces.