Introduction to the Birds of Great Britain.

GOULD, John.

Edité par London: Printed for the Author, by Taylor and Francis, 1873

First edition, presentation copy, inscribed by the author at the head of the title page, "The Hon. E. Dutton, with the author's compliments. July 7th 1874." Towards the rear of the volume, Edward Lenox Dutton is named in the 468-name list of subscribers to The Birds of Great Britain, Gould's proudest achievement. Edward Lenox Dutton (1831-1919, spelt "Lennox" in the subscribers list), 4th Baron Sherborne, was an ornithologist and antiquarian. His coat of arms included a panache of five ostrich feathers. Birds of Great Britain was issued in 25 parts between 1862 and 1873 and was "the most sumptuous and costly of the British bird books" (Mullens & Swann). Richard Bowdler Sharp, a close friend of Gould's and the curator of birds at the British Museum, declared that "such beautiful illustrations as those of the Birds of Great Britain scarcely existed before and are not likely to be surpassed" (Sharp, pp. xx-xxi). In this companion publication, Gould explains that the plates are entirely hand-coloured, introduces the purpose behind the project, and descriptively enumerates all the illustrations. The subscribers list follows. Provenance: Stephen C. Massey. Freeman 1399; Mullens & Swann, p. 240 (for the folio work); Sauer 26. Richard Bowlder Sharp, An Analytical Index to the Works of the Late John Gould, F.R.S., 1893. Octavo. Wood-engraved illustration (of juvenile cuckoo expelling other chicks from the nest) in text. Original red vertical-grain cloth, boards blocked in blind, front cover lettered in gilt, yellow coated endpapers, edges sprinkled red. Light rubbing and bumping, spine and margins of boards toned, offsetting on title page: very good. N° de réf. du vendeur 181001

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : Introduction to the Birds of Great Britain.
Éditeur : London: Printed for the Author, by Taylor and Francis, 1873
Signé : Signé par l'auteur
Edition : Edition originale