Dunn, Robert. The Ornithologist’s Guide to The Islands of Orkney and Shetland.
1st. Ed. Pub. by the Author. 1837 pp.x, [2], 128 with lithographic plate and 2 folding maps. 8vo. With plate bound as frontis. Some foxing to plate and borders of maps, o/w. contents very clean and fine. Bound in original burgundy cloth boards, gently faded in places, with some wear to cloth on spine., o/w. vg.
This book describes Hull taxidermist and natural history dealer Robert Dunn’s visits to Orkney and Shetland in the years 1831-35, and includes a record of the birds he encountered. We no longer look on birds in the way that Dunn did - he was a serious collector of birds and their eggs. For the facsimile of this work, published by Peregrine Books (2007), Martin Limbert wrote that it is ‘a window into those times, an essential reference for anyone, whether birder, naturalist, historian or island-goer, interested in the Northern Isles of seventeen decades ago’.
£400.00 [ref: 55028]
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Forshaw, J.M. & Cooper, W.T. Parrots of the World.
Pub. Doubleday. 1973 pp, 584 with fine illus. by W.T. Cooper plus figs. & numerous distribution maps. Folio. Hardback. A vg. copy in vg. dw.
£175.00 [ref: 44569]
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Fuller, Errol. The Great Auk.
Subscriber’s Ed. Pub. Errol Fuller. 1999 pp.447 with photographs and illus. throughout. With frontispiece heightened by hand and initialled by Errol Fuller. 4to. Hardback. Bound in green half morocco and marbled boards. Fine hardback in fine slipcase. Subscriber’s edition of 400 copies, this being No. 68. Signed by Errol Fuller. Importantly, this copy comes with the oft-misplaced limited edition print (measuring 42cm x 59cm) of a painting entitled ‘The Great Auk imagined off Eldey Island’ by Raymond Ching, specially commissioned to accompany all Subscriber’s copies. The print is therefore No. 68, is signed by Raymond Ching and is housed in the publisher’s cardboard tube. Also comes with, loosely inserted, an original letter (dated 28th March 1998) from Errol Fuller to this copy’s Subscriber in which Fuller says he has received payment and that his name has been added to the list of Subscribers. Furthermore also loosely inserted is Fuller’s 4-page pre-publication advert for the Subscriber’s Edition of ‘The Great Auk. A superb copy.
This work brings together almost every known archival image of the species along with photographs of the islands it once inhabited. There are chapters on every aspect of the Auk’s natural - and unnatural - history covering its life cycle and the years during which it dwindled to extinction.
£450.00 [ref: 68119]
Gould, John. The Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia. Vols. I and V.
Ltd. Ed. Fac. Pub. Hill House. 1988-1991 Two volumes with 56 and 75 plates respectively. Imperial folio. Hand sewn hardbacks bound in Japanese Saifo cloth with the gold Crown Cipher of the BM(NH) to the front board and gold stamped to spine. A couple of very trivial blemishes o/w. fine hardbacks. Copies No. 178 and 430 from the limited edition. Gould produced five volumes on the Birds of New Guinea. Hill House made facsimiles of Vols. I, II and V.
'The volumes in this series are not mere reproductions. They are exact facsimiles of originals held in the Libraries of the British Museum (Natural History) in London and Tring. They are not reproductions, because no camera was used in transferring the images from the B.M.(N.H.) originals. Indeed, the originals were taken by Museum security courier to the repro-house in Singapore, where they are subjected to the preparation of new plates for printing on 5 and 6 colour offset presses. As facsimiles, the books carry faithfully every spot, mark or stain of the originals. They also carry the original Museum Department of Zoology stamps, and librarian's annotations. From behind glass, the naked eye would be unable to distinguish the original from the facsimile, so accurate is the colour printing. Also, as facsimiles, they are exactly the same size as the originals.'
£495.00 [ref: 67273]
Hewitson, William Chapman. Coloured Illustrations of the Eggs of British Birds. with descriptions of their nests and nidification.
3rd. Ed. Pub. Van Voorst. 1856 Two volume set with 144 [of 149] hand-coloured plates. 8vo. Hardback. Bound without pp.385-396. Contents very clean with minor spotting only occ. a little heavier. More recently rebound in blue cloth with gilt lettering to spines.
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£175.00 [ref: 66574]
Howard, Henry Eliot. The British Warblers. A History with Problems of their Lives.
1st. Ed. Pub. R.H. Porter, London. 1907-1914 Two volume set with 35 chromolithograph and 51 photogravure plates (after Henrik Gronvold) and 12 maps. 4to. TEG. Hardbacks. Spotting to verso of one plate, minor offsetting (more so to one text page where a several letters have been abraded) o/w. the contents are exceptionally clean and in fine condition. Handsomely bound in green half-morocco leather, with gilt lettering and raised bands, showing just the smallest amount of shelfwear and sunning to spines o/w. in fine condition. Housed in matching green slipcase - fine condition. A very pleasing set indeed.
Howard’s major work ‘combined very fine chromolitho plates with a detailed and pioneer account of the behaviour of this family.’ (Tate).
£950.00 [ref: 68122]
Jardine, Sir William. The Natural History of Humming-birds. The Naturalist’s Library.
Pub. Lizars, Edinburgh. (c.1835) Two volume set; pp.[xi], [i], [25]-191; [xi], [1]-192. With 64 hand-coloured plates, 2 hand-coloured title-pages and 2 portrait frontis. Small 8vo. Hardback. Contents exceptionally clean and in fine condition. More recent full calf leather binding richly decorated with gilt birds and lettering to spines, gilt turn-ins and borders, all in fine condition. With the Arts and Crafts style bookplate of Herbert Standen to both volumes. A most pleasing set.
The first portrait frontispiece depicts Carl Linnaeus, with the second being an image of Thomas Pennant.
£700.00 [ref: 61202]
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Jardine, Sir William. The Natural History of Humming-birds. The Naturalist’s Library.
Pub. Lizars, Edinburgh. (1834) Two volumes bound in one; pp.[8], [i]-iii, 147, [8], [i]-iv, 166 plus 6-pages of publisher’s adverts. With 64 hand-coloured plates, 2 hand-coloured title-pages and 2 portrait frontis. Small 8vo. Hardback. Minor off-setting and spotting, o/w. contents fine. More recent half-calf binding with period style paper label, all in nr. fine condition.
The first portrait frontispiece depicts Carl Linnaeus, with the second being an image of Thomas Pennant.
£450.00 [ref: 59536]
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Lattin, Frank H., [Barnes, R. Magoon]. The Young Oologist [The Oologist. For the Student of Birds, Nests and Eggs]. Volumes 1 to 58.
1st. Ed. Gaines, NY; [Albion, NY and Lacon, Ill.]. 1884-1941 Fifty-eight volumes with photographs throughout, plus plates and advertisements, bound in 15. 8vo. Hardbacks. A little spotting to top-edge of text block of six volumes. A handful of neat repairs, o/w. contents exceptionally clean and in nr. fine/fine condition. Handsomely bound in 20th century blue buckram, with gilt lettering. Prov: from the library of Fred J. Pierce (1902-1992) with his bookplates and his name in gilt to the foot of all spines. A large, rare run, no comparable set traceable.
An astonishing work. Originally published as a monthly journal entitled ‘The Young Oologist’ until January 1886 when its name was changed to ‘The Oologist’ and at the same time, became a bi-monthly publication. With a focus on Oology, it does touch on related subjects including taxidermy and the collection of other natural history specimens. Fred J. Pierce was editor of the highly respected journal ‘Iowa Bird Life’ for 30 years. In 1944 with his wife, he established the Pierce Book Company in 1944, with a focus on natural history books.
£5,500.00 [ref: 59225]
Lilford, Lord. Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands.
1st. Ed. Pub. R.H. Porter, London. 1885-1897 Seven volume set. With photogravure portrait frontispiece and 421 fine chromolithograph or hand-coloured plates. Royal 8vo. TEG. With armorial bookplate of Richard Heywood Thompson to front pastedown of each volume. Some spotting, and only very minor off setting, mostly confined to text o/w. contents in fine condition. Marbled endpapers. Original half morocco leather over marbled boards, bound by R.H. Porter, with gilt lettering, raised bands to spine and sewn headbands, all in nr. fine condition. A most pleasing set.
Very pleasing provenance. Richard Heywood Thompson was a subscriber to this work and he is mentioned as such in the List of Subscribers (page xxxiv). The majority of the plates are by Archibald Thorburn or J.G. Keulemans, with the remainder executed by G.E. Lodge and W. Foster.
£2,750.00 [ref: 64439]
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