Sitwell, S. Buchanan, H. and Fisher, J. Fine Bird Books 1700-1900.
Pub. Collins and Van Nostrand. 1953. pp.viii, 120 with full page colour plates that have reproduced beautifully. Folio. Contents generally very clean with the exception of a handful of plates that have very mild foxing to the edges. Bound in half cloth and marbled boards which are lightly marked in places. The marbling on the boards also shows some wear along the fore-edges. Overall a vg. copy.
The reproduction of the plates in this work were completed to a very high standard making this both a beautiful book to look at and an extremely useful reference work for those collecting fine bird books.
£120.00 [ref: 46374]
Sterland, W.J. and Whitaker, Joseph. Descriptive List of the Birds of Nottinghamshire.
1st. Ed. Pub.William Gouk. 1879 pp.71 plus 1-leaf of adverts of works by W.J. Sterland. 8vo. Hardback. Cords gently stretched, a few spots, o/w. contents fine. Neat ownership stamp of Howard Smith. Original decorated blue cloth boards in thor. vg. / nr. fine condition. Scarce.
£225.00 [ref: 60433]
Stonham, Charles. The Birds of the British Islands.
1st. Ed. Pub. E. Grant Richards. 1906-1911 Five volume set with 318 fine engraved plates, two colour fold-out maps and two full-page anatomical woodcuts printed in red and black. With 9-page list of subscribers to rear of Vol. V. Large 4to. Hardback. TEG. Ex-Bolton. Lib. Overall contents exceptionally clean and nr. fine. Original quarter vellum over blue boards with gilt lettering - short split to top of spine of Vol. III, o/w. in vg. condition.
Originally issued in 20 parts and finely illustrated by Lilian M. Medland.
£275.00 [ref: 66570]
Thorburn, Archibald (& Grahame, Major Iain). Birds of Prey. A facsimile of the 1919 edition with a new foreword.
De Luxe Ed. Pub. Major Iain Grahame. 1985 pp.[viii], [ii], iii plus 12 mounted colour plates each with supporting page of text. Folio. Hardback. TEG. Hand-made paper and marbled end-papers. Very minor spotting indeed o/w. contents fine. Original three-quarter dark green morocco with gilt lettering and decoration in nr. fine condition. This edition was limited to just 145 copies of which 135 (numbered 16 to 150) were for sale. Ten hors de commerce copies were also produced and lettered A to J - this copy being hors de commere copy I. A most pleasing copy.
“First published in 1919 and limited to only one hundred and fifty copies, it has always been a great scarcity. One reason is that it was never issued in book form, but rather as a portfolio of lithographed prints, with an accompanying page of text. Many of them have been split up and framed, so only a very few copies remain in their original format. To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Thorburn’s death, on 9 October 1935, I am proud to be republishing this little known work” Major Iain Grahame.
£725.00 [ref: 66528]
Tucker, A.G.C. Ornithologia Danmoniensis: Or, An History of the Habits and Economy of Devonshire Birds. Volume I - Part II.
1st. Ed. Pub. T. Cadell and W. Davies, Strand. 1809 pp.xli-lxxxviii, with 3 plates in two states (hand-coloured and uncoloured). 4to. Text uncut. This copy also comes with an additional 3 uncoloured plates not usually present. In original wrapper. Rare.
This was the first English attempt at compiling a local avifauna. Two of the planned 24 parts were published. The fine plates feature illustrations of The Green Woodpecker, The Young Hen Harrier and The Yellow Wagtail.
£650.00 [ref: 54747]
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Van Pelt Lechner, A.A. Oologia Neerlandica. Eggs of Birds Breeding in the Netherlands.
1st. Ed. Pub. Martinus Nijhoff. 1910-13 Two volumes depicting 667 birds eggs over 191 individually mounted, chromolithograph and heliotype plates. Tissue guards. Collated and complete. Crown 4to. TEG. English text. Bound in half-morocco leather over marbled boards; raised bands, spines richly decorated and lettered in gilt. Spines show a little uniform sunning. Very minor spotting, o/w. contents clean and in fine condition. Boards near fine condition. A very handsome set of this very scarce and highly regarded work. Prov: Francois Haverschmidt (1906-1987), the world renowned Dutch ornithologist - his ownership inscription dated September 1926 on front free endpapers.
‘A work on the eggs of the birds of Holland, of unusual merits...(it) was issued in an edition of 250 copies, 100 of which were printed in English [the rest in Dutch] (Zimmer II, 651). The work was very well received. A review in the American Ornithologists Union journal ‘The Auk’ (Apr. 1914), said upon the release of the last four parts, ‘The unusually high standard of both plates and letter press is fully maintained and the work will take its place as one of the noteworthy publications dealing with birds’ eggs - an example of what can be done in scientific oological investigation’.
£3,500.00 [ref: 54707]
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Verner, Willoughby. My Life Among The Wild Birds of Spain.
1st. Ed. Pub. John Bale, Sons & Danielsson. 1909 pp.xvi, 468 with many b/w. photos. and illus. in text and fold-out view of Bearded Vulture's nesting station on linen as published at rear. Large 8vo. Hardback. Very minor, very occasional spotting, o/w. contents fine. With the bookplate of Herbert Massey to front pastedown. With one note in pencil reference the number of eggs laid by Raven in Britain. Original decorated green cloth boards, spine more recently relaid, and very pleasingly, the original end-papers retained in tact, all in nr. fine condition. A scarce work with super provenance.
Herbert Massey (1852-1939) ‘created one of the finest private collections of birds’ eggs ever to be formed in Britain.....The quality of his collection was paramount and contained some of the rarest specimens ever assembled in one collection.....His eggs of the Limicolae were so outstanding that Frank Poynting chose to base his illustrations in his classic ‘Eggs of British Birds - Limicolae’ (1895/96) from specimens in Massey’s collection.....Herbert Massey was a remarkable oologist. Kind hearted and generous, he was not subject to outbreaks of irritability or petulance to which some of his fellow oologists were sometimes prone at meetings.’ (Cole and Trobe).
£950.00 [ref: 60808]
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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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Yarrell, William. A History of British Birds.
1st. Ed. Pub. John Van Voorst. [1837]-43 Three volume set with wood engraved vignettes throughout. Four-page Van Voorst catalogue to Vol. I (dated April 1838) and 20-page, illustrated Van Voorst catalogue with original wrappers (dated May 1843) to Vol. III. Royal 8vo. Hardbacks. Contents exceptionally clean and in fine condition. Original cloth binding and labels showing a little shelf wear, o.w. in thor. vg. condition / nr. fine condition. With armorial bookplate of William Martin to each volume. A super set of the scarce large paper issue of which Van Voorst published a small number.
Originally published in bi-monthly parts (from 1837), this set contains the temporary half-titles, indexes plus finalised title pages and additional leaves to rear of Vol. III.
£600.00 [ref: 59830]
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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. 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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