White, Gilbert. The Natural History and Antiquites of Selborne. In the County of Southampton: With Engravings and an Appendix.
1st. Ed. Pub. London by T. Bensley; For B. White and Son. 1789 pp.v, 468 plus 12 page index and one-page errata. Complete with fold-out engraved frontis., engraved half-title and seven further plates (one fold-out). 4to. Hardback. Plates show some spotting and off-setting, minor paper flaw to fold-out plate. Very minor spotting elsewhere, o/w. contents exceptionally clean and fine. More recent handsome half-calf over marbled boards, with decoration and gilt lettering to spine. A very pleasing copy.
£2,500.00 [ref: 60385]

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White, Rev. G. The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, in the County of Southampton. Edited by Thomas Bell.
1st. Ed. Thus Pub. van Voorst. 1877 Large paper issue. Two volume set, half-titles, 9 plates (two fold-out) plus wood engraved vignettes. Royal 8vo. Hardbacks. AEG. A trivial amount of spotting, o/w. contents in fine condition. Fine contemporary green morocco leather binding by Francis Bedford (1799-1883) spines richly decorated in gilt, French fillet borders gilt to covers, inner dentelles gilt, all in superb condition. An exceptional set.
Zoologist and dentist, Professor Thomas Bell (1792-1880) purchased Gilbert White’s home The Wakes in 1844. Bell took a very keen interest in White and he edited two volumes of the ‘Natural History and Antiquites of Selborne’ publishing it in 1877. Bell discovered rare natterjack toads under grass in the Ha-ha at The Wakes.
£1,500.00 [ref: 58318]

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Willsford, Thomas. Natures Secrets. Or, the Admirable and wonderful History Of the generation of Meteors.
1st. Ed. Pub. for Nath. Brook at the Angel in Cornhill, London. 1658 pp.[xiv], 199, [i] with full-page woodcut illus. on p.150 plus 8-pages of publisher’s adverts. Small 8vo. Hardback. Frontis. removed, some headlines just clipped. Minor worm trail, and early, light coloured mark to bottom corner c.20 leaves, o/w. contents nr. fine. Early quarter leather over marbled boards in good condition, cords exposed at front hinge, text block firm and fine.
First edition of this rare Aristotelian cosmology and explanation of comets and meteors, dedicated to Lady Stafford.
£1,500.00 [ref: 62132]

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Wood, Neville. British Song Birds; Being popular descriptions and anecdotes of the Choristers of the Groves.
1st. Ed. Pub. John W. Parker. 1836 pp.xii, 408 plus Synoptical Table, Index and 4-page Catalogue of books published by John W. Parker. Small 8vo. Hardback. Short closed tear neatly repaired to ffep., o/w. contents nr. fine. Three neat ownership inscriptions. Original decorated cloth with gilt lettering to spine, small nick to top of spine (gently sunned) o/w. in very pleasing thor. vg. condition.
Mullens and Swann wrote of Neville Wood that he ‘was an amateur possessed of considerable knowledge’ and ‘he is chiefly known as the editor of a periodical called ‘The Naturalist’’.
£300.00 [ref: 60429]

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Wood, W. (and Westwood, J.O.) Index Entomologicus; or, a Complete Illustrated Catalogue, consisting of upwards of 2000 accurately coloured figures of the Lepidopterous Insects of Great Britain.
New Rev. Ed. Pub. Willis. 1854 pp.[ii], viii, 298 plus 59 hand-coloured plates. 8vo. Hardback. TEG. With armorial bookplate of James Milnes Stansfield to front pastedown and neat signature of E.H.B. Stansfield to title page. Some scattered spotting to fore-edges of text block and to ends, only minor spotting elsewhere o/w. contents fine. Handsomely bound in contemporary green half morocco, spine richly decorated in gilt with butterfly patterns, over marbled boards lightly rubbed to extremities o/w. in thor. vg. condition. An attractive copy.
A new revised edition, with supplement by J.O. Westwood.
£350.00 [ref: 71978]

Yarrell, William. A History of British Birds.
4th. Rev. Ed. Pub. Van Voorst 1871-1885 Four volume set with 564 fine wood-engravings. Half and full-titles present, errata and 16-page Van Voorst Catalogue (dated May 1884). 8vo. Hardbacks. Occasionally cords a little stretched, o/w. contents very clean and nr. fine. Numerous period notes and insertions. Original cloth binding showing some wear and repair, in. vg. condition overall. A fascinating set of the last and best edition, revised and enlarged by Alfred Newton and Howard Saunders
This set was clearly owned by a knowledgeable, well-connected and travelled Victorian ornithologist. There are numerous highly considered observations and comments in pencil to the text. Places mentioned include the New Forest, Northumberland, the Camargue and Sardinia with dates ranging from 1852 to 1899. He knew his contemporaries and their collections, e.g. that of Edward Heale Rodd, since reference is made to it. He was knowledgeable about period works, specifically referencing John Gould's 'Birds of Great Britain' and Seebohm's 'A History of British Birds'. Period articles have been inserted: 'Yellowshanks' by [Rev.] F.O. Morris, 'Eggs of the Cuckoo and the foster parents' from The Field (1896), part of an article detailing the legality of taking eggs by County (namely Berwickshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumberland and Devonshire) and two further articles 'The Mountain Partridge' and 'The Little Bustard'.
£325.00 [ref: 60062]

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Yarrell, William. A History of British Birds.
4th. Rev. Ed. Pub. Van Voorst 1871-1885 Four volume set with 564 fine wood-engravings. 8vo. Hardbacks. With Errata. Contents fine. Original blue cloth bindings with gilt lettering to spine, gently sunned to spines, showing some rubbing and wear to spine ends and front external hinge of Vol. I, o/w. in vg. plus condition. With neat inscription of E.W.H. Blagg, dated 1889 and bookplate of The Daltry Library, the private library insignia of Thomas William Daltry (1832-1904) clergyman and amateur naturalist, to each volume.
The last and best edition, revised and enlarged by Alfred Newton and Howard Saunders. 'The value of his [Yarrell's] works and the admiration which they evoke may be said to be due to the accuracy of the information they contain, together with the simplicity of their style and the charm and fidelity of the illustrations' (Mullens and Swann)
£175.00 [ref: 62679]

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[Langley, Batty]. The City and Country Builder’s and Workman’s Treasury of Designs: or, the art of drawing and working with parts of architecture.
Pub. London, printed for and sold by S. Harding. 1750 pp.[ii], 22 plus 200 copper engraved plates illustrating upwards of 400 designs. Large 4to. Hardback. Some spotting and toning, o/w. contents fine. Handsomely bound in 20th century half-calf over marbled boards with spine elaborately gilt decorated, all in fine condition. A superb work.
A very substantial pattern book (to scale), intended for use by Georgian master craftsmen. Windows, chimney pieces, cabinets, parquet floors, bookcases, monuments, fonts, sun-dials and columns to name but a few.
£1,995.00 [ref: 56758]

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