1 228 résultats
1784ABC_46946The Netherlands 1784. Large folio 52 x 33.5 cm. Contemporary richly gold-tooled red morocco over boards sewn on 8 supports each board with a round gold-tooled green morocco inlaid centre piece gold-tooled board edges 2 pairs of green cloth ties gilt edges and block-printed paste-paper endpapers in red and yellow. The spine is also richly gold-tooled with 2 different rolls to frame the compartments and underline the leaf and flower stamps. The front and back boards match except for the gold lettering: on the front board "konst tekeningen" and on the back board "anno 1784". The tooling shows 4 different rolls used for multiple frames and numerous stamps of leaves flowers vases birds and other decorative elements. With 18 large beautifully hand-drawn and coloured illustrations of birds. 90 ll. Splendidly bound drawing book containing 18 unsigned detailed watercolour and gouache drawings of birds. The colourful birds appear to be drawn after the plates in Edward Donovan's The natural history of British birds first published in instalments between 1794 and 1819. If so the present drawings must have been added to the drawing book at least 10 years after it was bound.The blank drawing-book was bound according to the gold lettering on the back board in 1784 and the tools identify it as the work of the most important and arguably the best bindery in the 18th-century Netherlands dubbed the First Stadholder Bindery by Storm van Leeuwen. Since the names of the binders remain unknown the name now used alludes to the fact that it produced many bindings by order of the Stadholder Willem V and presumably his father Willem IV. Its great importance rests on the number of its surviving bindings the diversity of the work it produced the quality of the tooling the exceptionally large number of binding tools it must have owned and the length of time it must have been operating from at least 1722 to 1793 Storm van Leeuwen. The paper is laid with no watermark and appears to be quite consistent.Occasional minor foxing but otherwise internally fine and clean. The binding shows only slight signs of wear so both the album and the binding are in very good condition. A sumptuously bound album of attractive illustrations of British birds.l For the binding: Jan Storm van Leeuwen Bookbinding 18th century IIA pp. 67-101; for images of the rolls etc.: Jan Storm van Leeuwen De achttiende-eeuwse Haagse boekband pp. 388-395. ABE CAT Art History hardcover
1794033347<p>London : Printed for the Author and for F and C Rivington 1794 A complete set of Donovan's British Birds with 244 hand coloured plates. In contemporary half morocco leather bindings with marbled paper sides with the 10 volumes bound in 5. A mixed edition - with Vol III having a 'New Edition' title page dated 1815 and Vol V with a title dated 1820. The other 8 volumes have first issue titles. The bindings have highly decorative spines with 6 gilt compartments 4 with a gilt bird in the middle one with titles and one with volume numbers. The leather has occasional scuffing and surface loss particularly on the corners. There is rubbing to the spine joints and the first 2 volumes have closed splits at the joints extending 2 compartments down from the top. The marbled paper is quite scuffed on the surface and edges. Internally the endpapers have the same marbling. All the volumes have initial blanks; some have final blanks. Unusually the plates have thick slightly waxy paper guards instead of the normal tissue paper. These do not enhance the appearance of the volumes but they have protected the plates well and the colours are vibrant. The contents are not sewn in and a couple of plates and some guards are loose. Overall the text paper tends to be toned and with occasional spotting and browning around the edges - particularly the top edge. The plate paper is slightly toned but fox spots are rare. There is some offsetting to the guard paper. Contents tightly bound. Contents: Vol I/II - I - title 1794 with ink gift inscription at the top; text paginated for a few pages only; plates 1-29 with text. II - title 1795; index to Vol II 6pp; plates with text 30-48 19 plates; Index Vol I 9 pp Vol II alphabetical arrangement 1p. Guards loose to plates 4 45 and 46 plate 6 loose. Vol III/IV; III - title 'new edition' 1815; plates with text 49-72 25 plates; IV - title 1797; plates with text 73-100 28 plates; Index to III and IV. Plates 62 and 83 loose. Vol V/VI: V - title 1820; text with plates 101-124 24 plates; VI - 1816; plates and text 125-148 24 plates; index to V and VI. Guards to 136 140 and 147 with some damage; plate 148 loss top edge at gutter.Vols VII/VIII: VII - title 1816 plates with text 149-172 24 plates; VIII - title 1817; plates with text 173-196 24 plates; index to VII and VIII. Small paint spot on plate 158; guard to 159 loose; plates 174 and 180 with small paint runs. Vols IX/X: IX title 1818; plates with text 197-220 24 plates; index Vol IX; X - 1819; plates with text 221-244 24 plates; index to X; General Systematic Arrangement 15pp. Please enquire if you would like additional details and/or images</p> Printed for the Author and for F and C Rivington hardcover
1891871711891. BIRDS & FLOWERS Imao KEINEN. KEINEN KACHO GAFU. Kyoto: Tanaka Jihei. Meiji 24-25 1891-2. 4 vols. each approx. 35.5 x 25.1 cm. Stringbound fukuro-toji Japanese style. Vol.1 Spring has 31 color woodblock prints of birds and flowers of which 7 are huge double page prints. Vol.2 Summer has 32 plates of which 8 are double page. Vol.3 Autumn has 38 prints of which 4 are double page. Vol.4 Winter has 34 plates of which 4 are double page and one is a four page spread. These original Tanaka Jihei issues which preceded the Unsodo versions have become quite scarce complete sets even more so and sets with the western number captioning the true first printing almost impossible to find. The covers are original with the titles directly printed there and the gold flecking. The summer issue has a single worm track in the margins else it and the other volumes are impeccable the printing excellent the colors subtle and lovely. The nicest set we have ever handled. All in a clasped chitsu case which itself is quite rough. 4 vols. complete as issued by Tanaka Jihei very unusual thus. unknown
167830181LONDON : Andrew. Clark. for John Martyn 1678 A very good copy in a high quality full leather binding. With title page in red and black ink; preface; text in 3 books with 2 plates of bird traps bound in and 2 tables which serve as early identification keys; an appendix; summary of falconry; index and 78 plates of birds including the dodo at the rear. This is the first English edition translated from the original Latin which was published in 1676 four years after Willughby's death by his friend and colleague John Ray. It marks one of the first attempts to take a rational scientific approach to classifying birds. It is a matter of debate and current research as to whether Willughby or Ray played a greater part in its development. Ray supervised the publication. The illustrations were commissioned from a number of sources and some birds are depicted twice where the initial image was not very good.This copy lacks the original endpapers - perhaps lost during the later rebinding - but is complete including the additional falconry material. There is some browning to page edges. Some of the plates have some fraying at the very edges where the paper is more fragile. This is most marked in plates LXXVI and LXXVIII - which also has a slight crease. A[ndrew]. C[lark]. for John Martyn hardcover
1934052998Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1934. Book. VG. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Dark green pebbled cloth lettered and with front cover mallard device stamped in silver. Mildly rubbed spine extremities and front joint text block edges typically a bit tanned by age. Former owner's signature inked on upper front flyleaf otherwise unmarked. Firm square binding contents clean slightly thumbed. xxi167 pp. illus. w/ 4 color plates with captioned guards 32 monochrome plates. Scarce 1st edition 1st state with matching dates "1934" on lower main title uncorrected "Bob-pumper" in index p. 155; illus. of snowy egret and whistling goose both w/ gray plumage common to 1st and 2nd states. On p. 67 under the Ruff section the letter "l" is missing from the word "loose" in the 2nd line apparently common to some but not all first printings. Limited to 2000 copies as Peterson's editor Paul Brooks reports in his memoir Two Park Street p. 63 while also suggesting that Peterson's innovative influential guide "would make field recognition of birds for the first time into a science." Solid VG likely Near Fine in many estimates with only minor faults but alas no dust jacket. Houghton Mifflin Co. Hardcover
1891911031891. BIRDS & FLOWERS Imao KEINEN. KEINEN KACHÔ GAFU. Kyoto: Tanaka Jihei. Meiji 24-25 1891-2. 4 vols. each approx. 35.5 x 25.1 cm. Vol.1 Spring has 31 color woodblock prints of birds and flowers of which 7 are huge double page prints. Vol.2 Summer has 32 plates of which 8 are double page. Vol.3 Autumn has 38 prints of which 4 are double page. Vol.4 Winter has 34 plates of which 4 are double page and one is a four page spread. These original Tanaka Jihei issues which preceded the Unsodo versions have become quite scarce complete sets even more so and sets with the western number captioning the true first printing almost impossible to find. The original covers are worn and the 4 volumes have been placed into heavy cloth outer bindings with supplied title labels. The printings are excellent the colors much milder than the reprints subtle and lovely. Complete as issued by Tanaka Jihei very unusual. unknown
1776032975London: Printed for B White 1776 A fair copy complete with 50 hand coloured plates in contemporary binding which has been rebacked preserving the original spine. Classed as 'fair' because text leaf 109/110 is in facsimile; there are some paper repairs; and the colouring is not as detailed and careful as it could be. The binding has a relaid decorative spine with 5 raised bands and gilt compartments - the title is in the second compartment. Boards are marbled. There is scuffing and wear at the board edges surfaces and corners. All page edges gilted. New endpapers. Contents are complete with text in french and english on alternate pages and 50 hand coloured plates. Text 134 pp with 2 pp of index. Contents are generally clean with the odd mark or spot. There is long stain in the gutter of p 69 where an old sticky tape repair has been removed and the original tear professionally repaired. The stain is also lightly visible on the following 2 text pages. Plate 2 has professional repair in the gutter; Plate 36 has a professional repair and has a very small tear at the bottom edge. There is a small nick from the top page edge of Plate 23 and a small edge tear at the top of p 95. There is a small mark at the foredge from pp 110 to 129. Peter Brown was primarily an illustrator and the specimens were taken from the collections of Marmaduke Tunstall; Mr's Lee Yeats and Moon; the British Museum and the Royal Society. Some plates were copied from drawings by Gideon Leon. Please enquire if you would like to see additional images. Printed for B White hardcover
1812032746London : T Cadell and W Davies; R C and J Rivington; et al 1812 A very good set of this 20 volume edition with black and white frontispiece 2 folding maps and 681 hand coloured plates. With an account of Buffon's life by William Wood. It is rare to find this set with hand colouring. In contemporary full speckled calf bindings that have been rebacked to provide new spines with gilt-lined raised bands and title and volume labels. The original boards have scuffing and pitting and there is light wear at edges and corners but the bindings are in very good clean condition. Endpapers are marbled and some of the front pastedowns have a scuffed area indicating the removal of bookplates. 2 of the volumes have the armorial bookplate of the Right Hon. Sir Robert Peel Bart who was Prime Minister 1834-5. and 1841-6 and is viewed as the founder of the modern British police force. The contents are in very good condition with occasional light spotting generally at the top margin and offsetting from the plates. The occasional plate and text page is toned. All the volumes have 2 initial and final blanks a half title and title contents listings and directions to the binder. All have the original page marker torn in one volume. In this set Vol VI has 2 plates numbered 152 and 2 numbered 158 with different animals; Vol VII lacks one plate 211 and Vol VIII lacks plate 252 but has 2 numbered 254 different animals. Detailed contents: Vol I: preface by translator and life of Buffon pp lv; text 496pp; 2 folding hand coloured maps. Vol II: text 592pp; 13 plates of which 6 are folding. There is a small hole in text p 443. Vol III: text 567 pp; 1 plate. Vol IV: text 419 pp including folding chart of dogs; 48 plates. Vol V: text 378 pp; 63 plates. Vol VI: text 439pp; 67 plates. Vol VII: 477 pp; 49 plates of which 2 are folding. Vol VIII: 400 pp; 49 plates. Vol IX: 406pp; 56 plates. Vol X: text 288 pp; appendix with half title to p396; index 44 pp; 69 plates. Vol XI: first volume of Birdspreface by translator pp xvi; text 435 pp; notes by translator to p 444; 29 plates 29 is misprinted 39 on directions to binder. Vol XII: text 518 pp; 27 plates - plate numbering not in sequence. p 305 has lost the bottom corner tip. Vol XIII: 496pp; 27 plates. Vol XIV: 464 pp; 22 plates. Vol XV: 468 pp; 22 plates. Vol XVI: 494 pp; 15 plates. Vol XVII: 574 pp; 19 plates. Vol VXIII: 567 pp; 31 plates. Vol XIX: 514 pp; 40 plates. Vol XX: text 1-390; appendix by translator to p 515; index 88 pp; 34 plates. T Cadell and W Davies; R C and J Rivington; et al hardcover
1785032107London : Harrison and Co 1785 A rare and beautiful introduction to natural history. In 2 folio volumes with 99 of 100 hand coloured plates by Moses Harris and others after his style. Martyn is a pseudonym for William Fordyce Mavor who authored a wide range of works. The books are set out alphabetically with the plates reflecting this classification so they can portray lizards and lynx side by side on the same plate. The pages are double column and unpaginated. The text for each animal is thoughtfully put together eg for the guinea pig 'The Guinea-Pig is a very cleanly creature and totally different from that that affords it a name.Guinea-Pigs repose on their bellies pretty much in their usual posture.'. The plates are nicely coloured and the ones by Moses Harris butterflies moths and shells are particularly well drawn. This copy is in a contemporary half leather binding with marbled boards. The half leather corners have been replaced with a paper cover. There is some wear to boards and corners but overall they are in good condition. The spines are leather with raised bands and gilt decoration. There are title and volume labels. There is some wear to joints particularly on Vol I where there is some cracking at the front hinge but the bindings are currently sound. Contents generally clean with occasional marking and some edge tearing. There are some pencil notes at the beginning of both volumes. The paper used in this work is particularly soft and prone to edge-tearing. Vol I: red and black title page; Preface; covers A-K; 55 plates; new rear endpaper. A couple of plates have margin/edge tears - Plate I has tear at the top margin with a small piece missing at the corner and a tear at the bottom margin again missing corners; Plate XLVII has a small piece missing from the bottom edge and a repair. The title page has a small hole and 2 repaired edge tears. Vol II: 44 of 45 plates; title page in red and black; text and plates L-Z; 2pp listing of plates; Finis. There is some offsetting from plates to text occasional browning to pages; and some edge-tearing. Please enquire if you would like more images to assess condition. Harrison and Co hardcover
15989PESTH HARTLEBEN 1840. VERY SCARCE - ONLY 300 COPIES PRINTED. THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN HANDSOMELY REBOUND IN FULL BROWN LEATHER NEW END PAPERS ORIGINAL BLUE ENDPAPERS BOUND IN WITH LOSS. SOME FOXING THROUGHOUT AND BINDING VERY TIGHT. TURKISH AND GREEK TEXTS WITH THE GERMAN TRANSLATIONS. INTRODUCTION OF 4 PAGES FURTHER 32 PAGES WITH SOME ANNOTATIONS IN RED PENCIL WITH A SHORT LIST OF WORKS. 115 PAGES ON FALKNERKLEE THEN TEXT IN ARABIC AND GREEK. AN ATTRACTIVE AND UNUSUAL ITEM. PESTH, HARTLEBEN, 1840 hardcover
32313LONDON NICKISSON 1842-50. FIRST OCTAVO EDITION SEVEN VOLUMES COMPLETE VERY NICELY BOUND IN HALF GREEN LEATHER OVER MARBLED BOARDS MARBLED ENDPAPERS RAISED BANDS GILT TITLES. WITH 432 PLATES MOSTLY COLOURED 322 OF BIRDS AND 110 OF EGGS. VOLUME 1 HAS BEEN MORE RECENTLY REBOUND THAN THE OTHERS BY MALTBYS OF OXFORD BUT IN THE SAME STYLE. WITH THE BOOKPLATE OF COSMO NEVILL. EXCEPTIONALLY CLEAN AND TIDY. VERY SCARCE. LONDON, NICKISSON, 1842-50 hardcover
1891e3201aLondon: R H Porter. VG: in very good condition. Spines faded. Occasional slight foxing. 1891. Second Edition. Green hardback half-leather cover. 260mm x 170mm 10" x 7". xxxv 969pp. 421 chromolithographed colour plates mounted on linen guards. Illustrated by Archibald Thorburn and J G Keulemans. Text and plates neatly paginated in pencil. Index in Volume VII. Note that the work was issued in two editions. The first commenced in October 1885 and the second in April 1891. Both editions ended simultaneously. Heavy set extra shipping needed for overseas. . R H Porter hardcover
1870004071Saint Petersburg: S. E. Cassino 1870. 2 volumes bound in 3/4 green leather marbled endpapers TEG raised bands gilt lettering. 100 hand-colored plates with tissue guards 1005pp. Small quarter-moon water stain on edge of preliminary pages in vol.1. Wear on the corners but not much on spine ends. No fraying. Evidence of sticker removal on spines but no ex-lib markings inside. Scan available on request. Three-Quarter Leather. 4to. S. E. Cassino Hardcover
036057Norfolk 1993. Drawing. Illus. by Robert Gillmor. Fine. Framed. Signed by THE ARTIST. Original. 28cm x 57cm. THE ONLY GILLMOR NEW NATURALIST JACKET WHERE THE ILLUSTRATION IS DRAWN IN BLACK AND WHITE ON CONQUILLE BOARD WITH COLOUR ADDED LATER DURING THE PRINTING PROCESS. Large original drawing of the front panel of the final layout for Caves and Cave Life New Naturalist No. 79 not only the full size pencil drawing of the front panel of the jacket but also finished layout of the jacket on coquille board. Superb illustration of Robert's artistic ability. In 1985 Robert took on the design of the jackets for Harper Collins' renowned New Naturalists series until 2022. Much of his work has been at sell-out exhibitions at the Pinkfoot Gallery in Cley he is one of the UK's most collectable printmakers. Artwork attached to acid free backing with conservtion tape glazed with frame fine. . Frame size 39cm x 66cm. Robert Allen Fitzwilliam Gillmor MBE 1936 - 2022 was a British ornithologist artist illustrator author and editor. He was a co-founder of the Society of Wildlife Artists SWLA and was its secretary chairman and president. He contributed to over 100 books most notably the New Naturalist series. unknown
1990025073Melbourne VIC Australia: Oxford University Press 1990. A full set of seven volumes in nine books with colour and b/w illustrations. Published between 1990 and 2006. Minor marks to top edge of some volumes. Comprises of Volume 1 Part A Ratites to Petrels and Part B Australian Pelican to Ducks - Volume 2 Raptors to Lapwings - Volume 3 Snipe to Pigeons - Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird - Volume 5 Tyrant-flycatchers to Chats - Volume 6 Pardalotes to Shrike-thrushes - Volume 7 Part A Boatbill to Starlings and Part B Dunnock to Starlings. Very heavy set Approx 22kg. Please ask for postage quote. . Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Oxford University Press Hardcover
1842g9566London: G W Nickisson; George Willis; Willis & Sotheran. G: in good condition. Covers rubbed and scuffed. Ownership label on paste-downs. Plates VG. 1842. First Edition. Green hardback half-leather cover. 230mm x 140mm 9" x 6". 1501pp plates. 432 of 435 plates ciomprising 321 hand-coloured plates of birds 8 plain plates and 103 hand coloured plates of eggs. Volume I published by G W Nickisson in 1842; Volumes II III IV and V published by George Willis and Volumes VI and VII by Willis and Sotheran between 1853 and 1857. Heavy set - extra shipping needed for overseas. . G W Nickisson; George Willis; Willis & Sotheran hardcover
fol739dLondon: The Folio Society. VG : in very good condition with green slipcase. 2011. Limited Edition 121/1000. Green illustrated hardback cloth cover with green leather spine. 550mm x 380mm 22" x 15". xxii 342pp; xviii 308pp; xii338pp; xvii 314pp. Heavy book extra shipping needed for overseas. . The Folio Society hardcover
1823018730London Dublin Edinburgh & New York: Printed for Sir Richard Phillips 1823. Six volumes small octavo pp 588; 600 15; 584 10 uncut a few pages unopened a little age-toning and marking one gathering 347-350 in Volume IV detached and gatherings towards the rear of the volume becoming a bit weak and loose Volume VI has extra bis pages 343 - 354; very well illustrated with 197 engraved or wood engraved plates of which 31 are folding and 50 coloured plates of which 2 are folding and 1 folding table; bound in the original pink boards a bit worn chipped and marked original printed paper labels on the spines the upper cover of Volume V detached otherwise firm and tight a neat signature on each front endpaper. Apparently lacking one plate in Volume 1 Relative Sizes of the Planets though there is no sign of this ever having been bound in. There are several extra plates to those listed and our copy would seem to agree with the set at auction at Christie's in 2006 which contained 246 of 248 plates. A work of considerable charm and interest and despite some faults as mentioned a remarkable set in original unsophisticated state. Simeon Ackroyd Shaw 1785 - 1859 was a 19th-century English scientific writer industrial historian and teacher. He spent his working life in the Staffordshire Potteries now the city of Stoke-on-Trent England. Shaw originated in Lancashire and as a young man he arrived in the Potteries to work on the Potteries Gazette and Newcastle-under-Lyme Advertiser newspaper. After some 20 years of newspaper and printing work living in Wolstanton he then went into teaching. He ran several teaching academies in the district. His first book was this 6-volume work which was based on his obviously very comprehensive series of popular short lectures on everything from natural species to meteorites. First Edition. Boards. Good. Printed for Sir Richard Phillips Hardcover
1830r7198cParis: Arthus Bertrand. G: in good condition. Cover marked and slightly faded with heavy rubbing to outer hinges and spine ends. Sporadic foxing throughout; sometimes heavy and impinging on content. Previous owner inscription to fep 'Douglas & Clydesdale'. Occasional inner hinge cracking. Aeg. 1830. First Edition. Green hardback tooled leather cover. 240mm x 150mm 9" x 6". x 196pp plates. 66 hand coloured tissue guarded engraved plates. . Arthus Bertrand hardcover
1817e3278Havniae Copenhagen: J H Schubothium. G : in Good condition. Cover rubbed. Some foxing. Inner hinges weak. Ex Royal College of Surgeons Ireland Library. 1817. First Edition. Brown hardback cloth cover. 210mm x 120mm 8" x 5". vi 318pp xiv 277pp. 12 hand coloured plates 2 folding. Text in Latin. . J H Schubothium hardcover
1857032907London: Willis and Sotheran 1857 A good set in contemporary rebacked cloth bindings with 322 colour plates of birds 102 colour plates of eggs and 8 black and white plates. The original cloth was probably a shade of green but it has sunned. It has been rebacked in a dark green relaying the original gilt-decorated spines which are mostly complete. The bindings are therefore sound and tight but there is a lot of wear to corners with varying degrees of bumping corner turning fraying and loss of cloth. Newer marbled endpapers have been added and each volume has an armorial bookplate of K I Beynon to the front pastedown with the motto 'Gwell Dysg Na Golud' the original motto of Llandovery College. Internally the volumes are complete and the plates are well-coloured. All the title pages have a small ink signature of Spencer Nicholl to the top. There is sporadic light marking which is mostly to margins particularly the side margin and occasional foxing to text. The top margin has dark toning at the top edge. Vol I: title; contents; preface; text pp 3-320 with 45 bird and 14 egg plates in colour and 6 black and white plates. There is a small top edge tear to plate 22; small loss from the side edge of p 119; and the text pp vary from white to toned with some spotting. Vol II: title; contents; text 233pp with 46 bird and 12 egg colour plates. Plate at p 45 lacks guard; plate at 86 has a creased guard; plate at 107 has a loose guard and there is a small paint run to plate at p214. Vol III: title; contents; text 240pp with 45 bird and 13 egg colour plates. Some spotty text and odd marks to guards or verso of plates. Vol IV: title; contents; text 215pp with 45 bird and 15 egg colour plates. Some marking to plate 160. Vol V: title; contents; text 192pp with 45 bird and 15 egg colour plates. Small repaired paper hole at p49. Vol VI: title; contents; text 185pp with 44 bird and 15 egg colour plates and 1 black and white plate. Light foxing. Vol VII: title; contents; text 198pp with 52 bird and 18 egg colour plates and 1 black and white plate; index pp 199-206. Paper repair to top edge p 49; offsetting to guards. Willis and Sotheran hardcover
1797biblio2Bewick Thomas: 1753-1828 History of British Birds. The Figures Engraved on Wood by T. Bewick. Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 containing the description and history of land birds etc. Newcastle: Sol. Hodgson; Edward Walker 1797; 1804 1804. 2 vols. 8vo. xxx ii 335 1; xx 400 pp. With 233 cuts of birds in the text. Contemporary half-polished calf over boards spine gilt; an excellent copy with respect to the interior of the book. Unfortunately the board is detached and nearly off. This copy is signed by Henry Oates and presented to him by his Aunt Ann Rayner in Dec. 1797. Ascended from Joseph Henry Oates to Lawrence Titus Oates who accompanied Scott on his expedition to the South Pole.First edition second issue as shown by the presence of the words "Wycliffe 1791" from the figure of the sea eagle on p. 11 of Volume I. Mottled calf over paper boards with some damage to the leather on volume one and volume two. Occasional spotting but otherwise a nice clean and internally bright copy. This is a very rare set owing in part to the signature and ascension of the Oates family. Published in two parts the first deals with land birds the second with water birds. "The text of the first volume was entirely written by Ralph Beilby; the illustrations are all by Bewick. It is as illustrator and artist that Bewick is best known and mainly on account of his excellent woodcuts this work passed through numerous editions a supplement being published by him in 1821. He also issued a number of small atlases of cuts without descriptive matter. The text in all the treatises bearing his name is mostly compilations from earlier writers." Thomas Bewick 1753-1828 is best remembered for his wood engravings especially those in his two works of Natural History: A General History of Quadrupeds and A History of British Birds Vol. I Land Birds Vol. II Water Birds. The methods of printing used in the eighteenth century led Bewick to develop techniques of engraving that far surpassed the work of his contemporaries. He lowered the surface of the blocks in the areas which he 'wished to appear pale so as to give the effect of distance'. These techniques together with Bewick's complete mastery of the traditional methods and his artistic ability resulted in some exquisite engravings. Masterful engraving indeed but all too frequently the printers of the day had neither the opportunity time or the incentive to produce fine sensitive impressions. Today printing the engravings individually and using a combination of eighteenth and nineteenth century techniques and twentieth century materials I was able to produce impressions that I hope go some way towards revealing the full potential of the blocks. As always it was both a privilege and a pleasure to print these wood engravings. Bewick was born in the north of England at Cherryburn on the south bank of the river Tyne twelve miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne. At the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to Ralph Beilby a general engraver in Newcastle. Ten years later he formed a partnership with Beilby. Wood engraving was only a small part of the business and the majority of the work involved engraving inscriptions and decorations on a wide variety of objects such as guns dog collars harness clock faces rings cutlery and the engraving of banknotes billheads and even bookbinders' tools and letters. Bewick is best known for his wood engravings in his two works of natural history: A General History of Quadrupeds and A History of British Birds Vol.1 Land Birds Vol. 2 Water Birds. Bewick started to engrave the illustrations for the Quadrupeds in 1785 and in his autobiographical Memoir 1 recounts: 'The greater part of these Wood cuts were drawn & engraved at nights after the days work of the shop was over. The <br />book was very well received and Bewick was encouraged to work on a history of birds. © David Esslemont 1997.These books were purchased at a Dominic Winter Auction and further family provenance is as follows from a Oates historian. "Joseph Oates whose name is inscribed in the volume was the great-grandfather of Captain Lawrence Oates. Joseph Oates was born in 1743 and died in 1824. His wife was Elizabeth Rayner which accounts for the other signature in the book. Joseph Oates and Elizabeth Rayner had six children and the youngest Edward 1792-1865 married Susan Grace in 1836. One of their five children was William Oates 1841-1896 the father of Captain Oates 17 March 1880 – 17 March 1912- He died on his birthday. His grandparents' names were included in the full name of Captain Oates - i.e. Lawrence Edward Grace Oates. There is a strong connection with travel and exploration throughout the Oates ancestors." There is no connection to be found that these books were taken on the expedition or recovered from the expedition if they were they would be worth considerably more than our price. It is safe however to say that it was a treasured set by grandparents and parents of Oates and that both the great grandfather and Captain Oates' father had an interest in birds and collected such upon their travels around the world. From the age of 20 until his death at 32 Captain Lawrence Oates was mostly away in service or in the Antarctic. He spent 9 months at his ancestral home recovering from a leg wound he received in the Boer War in 1901. In the expedition at near death starving; Captain Lawrence Oates on his birthday said "I am just going outside and may be some time." Hew was known as a gentleman brave and determined to try and save his companions. His body was never found. Sol. Hodgson; Edward Walker hardcover
188634839Boston: Alfred Mudge & Son Printers 1886. First Edition with the original advertising leaf for the work tipped into the inner cover of the holding box and one of a small number of copies uncut untrimmed and unbound. Illustrated with 25 Full Sized Lithographic plates depicting 323 eggs of the birds coloured true to nature generally with 15 eggs per folio plate sometimes with less when depicting the eggs of the largest birds. Folio 37.5 x 26.5 cm an original unbound set of the folio leaves all laid into a holding box of black cloth the spine lettered in gilt. 116 textual plates and 25 lithographic plates on toned paper. A fine copy of this rare work. FIRST EDITION AND ONE OF A VERY FEW COPIES ISSUED UNBOUND UNCUT AND UNTRIMMED. The author's chief aim has been to render this work as useful and true to nature as possible.endeavored to confine myself strictly to the eggs nests and breeding habits." A superb work on the eggs and breeding habits of the birds of New England the text and illustrations augmenting one another. Alfred Mudge & Son, Printers hardcover
25702LONDON. 1910. PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. THE WORK WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 24 PARTS 1905-1910. THIS SET COMPRISES 2O OF THE 24 PARTS AND THEREFORE 85 OF THE 106 COLOUR PLATES OF EGGS ALL WITH THE ORIGINAL CARD COVERS. PARTS 3/4 AND 23/24 ARE MISSING. A VERY SCARCE WORK. LONDON. 1910. PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. unknown
32306NEWCASTLE CHARLES EMPSON 1831. FIRST EDITION IN TWO VOLUMES. NO DATE BUT 1831-38 WITH THE SECOND VOLUME BEING PUBLISHED BY CURRIE AND BOWMAN OF NEWCASTLE. A.E.G. HALF LEATHER OVER MARBLED BOARDS MARBLED ENDPAPERS GILT PAGE EDGES. WITH 155 HAND-COLOURED PLATES OF EGGS BY HEWITSON. ANTIQUARIAN BOOKPLATE TO EACH VOLUME. SOME FOXING TO THE ENDPAPERS OF BOTH VOLUMES THEREAFTER VERY CLEAN WITH ONLY SPORADIC FOXING TO VOLUME 2. ALMOST ALL PLATES VERY CLEAN. FIRMLY BOUND. SLIGHT SCUFFING TO THE LEATHER BUT A VERY GOOD SET. VERY SCARCE INDEED. NEWCASTLE, CHARLES EMPSON, 1831 hardcover