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693 results found
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(total 14 pages)
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Euplocamus Nobilis [Noble Pheasant]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J. Smit, printed by M. & N. Hanhart. Very good condition. Image size (including text): 15 1/4 x 20 7/8 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 23 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8678 $5,500.00  
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Gallus Sonneratii [Grey Junglefowl]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J. Smit and J.G. Keulmans, printed by P.W.M. Trap. Very good condition. Image size (including text): 15 3/4 x 20 1/2 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 23 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8676$5,500.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Phasianus Colchicus [Common or Ringneck Pheasant]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J. Smit, printed by M. & N. Hanhart. Excellent condition. Image size (including text): 15 1/4 x 20 1/2 inches. Sheet size: 17 7/8 x 23 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8172$7,500.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Polyplectron Germaini [Germain's Peacock Pheasant]
New York: [1870]-1872. Hand-coloured lithograph after Joseph Wolf by J. Smit, printed by P.W.M. Trap. Very good condition. Image size (including text): 15 1/4 x 20 7/8 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 23 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from the most splendid of Elliot's great monographs, 'A Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants'.
The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates after Joseph Wolf's charcoal drawings reflect the importance which Elliot attached to the Phasianidae. Of all the families in the ornithological system, he regarded it as the one most vital to the human race, "containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world."
Cf. Anker 130; Fine Birds Books (1990), p. 95; Nissen IVB 295; Wood p. 331; Zimmer p. 206
#8679$5,500.00
 ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud (1835-1915)
Ruffed Grouse / Bonasa Umbellus [Pl. I]
[Pl. I]. New York: published by the Author, 1865. Hand-coloured lithograph. Very good condition. Sheet size: 23 1/8 x 17 3/4 inches.
A fine plate from one of the most important works of American ornithology after Audubon. Also known as the partridge or peasant, the Ruffed Grouse can be found throughout the United States and was considered by Elliott to be the most handsome species of grouse.
Monograph of the Tetraoninae, which was issued in parts from 1864-65 and as a bound volume in 1865, was Elliot's second major book and one of the few he published in the United States. This impressive work features elegant plates of mostly North American species of grouse coloured by Elliot, J. Wolf and Wm. S. Morgan and lithographed by Bowen & Co., the publishers of the octavo edition of Audubon's The Birds of America and possibly the best colour printers in the United States at the time. The varied appearances and remarkable habits of these birds greatly interested Elliott, who remarked in the preface that "few could witness the graceful forms, erect carriage, and gallant bearing of the members of this family, without having their admiration excited."
An eminent American ornithologist, Elliott was one of the founders of the American Ornithologists' Union as well as Curator of Zoology at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. In addition to Tetraoninae, he published several other beautifully illustrated and magnificently coloured monographs on various birds including pheasants, thrushes and hornbills.
Cf. Anker 128; cf. Bennett, p. 39; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 95; cf. Nissen IVB 293; cf. Wood 331; cf. Zimmer 205.
#10909$1,750.00
 ELWES, Henry John (1846-1922).- W.B.TURRILL
A Supplement to Elwes' Monograph of the Genus Lilium
London: The Royal Horticultural Society, 1960-1962. Parts VIII and IX only, folio (21 ¾ x 14 7/8 inches). Letterpress text, without title (as published). 10 coloured plates after Margaret Stokes (5 in colour collotype, 5 in colour lithography). Original wrappers, letterpress title on upper covers within green-printed decorative border, contents list on lower cover.
The two final limited edition supplements needed to complete Elwes' magisterial work on one of the most beautiful of all plant families.
The final two parts to the Supplement, with text by W.B. Turrill, were published by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1960 and 1962. The ten plates were from drawings by Margaret Stones (b. 1920 in Melbourne), who had been appointed principal contributing artist to the Botanical Magazine in 1958.
Part VIII was issued in a total edition of 1040, this one of 1,000 copies with colour collotype plates.
Part IX was issued in a total edition of 540, this one of 500 with colour-lithographic plates.
The two earlier stages of the work were as follows:
The monograph was instigated by Henry Elwes, a gentleman plant-collector, traveler and gardener, whose interest in botany had been sparked by a visit to the Himalayan region (the journey itself was inspired by reading Hooker's Himalayan Journals). In the garden at his home at Colesbourne in Gloucestershire he was able to grow many of the members of the Lilium genus and was a recognized expert in the field. However, he played down his level of knowledge, and to ensure that the text was as accurate as possible, and that the range of lilies was as complete as possible, he consulted the greatest botanical experts in the field for help in writing the text. This level of excellence was continued with the illustrations, and Elwes was able to carry through his plan to illustrate the monograph with hand-coloured plates by the best available botanical artist, with each member of the genus shown full-size. Between March 1877 and May 1880 subscribers received seven parts (at a total cost of seven guineas), illustrated with 48 plates by Walter Hood Fitch (1817-1892)
Shortly before his death in 1922 Elwes had asked A. Grove, a friend and fellow lily expert, to undertake the task of producing the supplement. Dame Alice Godman, who was related by marriage to Elwes, agreed to underwrite the cost of the work, and (co-written by Grove and the botanist A. D. Cotton) the first seven parts of the supplement were published between July 1933 and February 1940, with 30 hand-coloured lithographed plates, all but two by Lillian Snelling (1879-1972).
Cf. Nissen BBI 594; cf. Great Flower Books (1990) p. 94; cf. Stafleu & Cowan 1664
#2690$1,000.00
 EVELYN, John (1620-1706)
Sylva, or a discourse of Forest-Trees, and the propagation of timber in His Majesties dominions... Terra, a philosophical essay of Earth. being a lecture in course. To which is annexed Pomona: or, an appendix concerning Fruit-Trees in relation to Cider ... also Kalendarium Hortense; or, the Gard'ners Almanac...
London: printed for John Martyn, 1679. 4 parts in one volume, folio (12 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches). Front blank, general title and one section title in red and black. 6 illustrations (5 engraved [one of these full-page], 1 wood-cut). Near-contemporary speckled calf, covers paneled in blind, spine in six compartments with raised bands and ruled in gilt, red morocco lettering-piece in the second compartment. Provenance: Viscount Downe (early armorial bookplate).
A fine copy of the third edition of 'the most important book to appear during the seventeenth century on forestry' (Henrey), here including Evelyn's 'Terra' for the first time
'Arboriculture was an endless source of interest and delight to Evelyn. Throughout his life he was adding to his knowledge on the subject, from his own experience in the planting of trees, from observations made during his travels at home and abroad, and from other men's writings. From 1664 until 1706 Evelyn published four editions of Sylva and on each occasion the work was expanded. It contains an enormous amount of information concerning the cultivation of the various kinds of forest trees, and the uses of their timber, together with facts and anecdotes obtained from books, both classical and contemporary. The work was a success from the start. Its publication gave a great stimulus to planting in Britain, Charles II setting the example with the replenishing of the Royal forests' (Henrey I, p.107)
Cf. Bradley Bibliography IV, p.107; Henrey I,134; Keynes Evelyn 42
#15953$1,850.00
 [FLEMISH FLOWER MANUSCRIPT]
A bound collection of vellum sheets illuminated with original bodycolour paintings on 28 panels, the vellum sheets originally forming two continuous manuscript rolls, both relating to the De La Broye family, attested to by J. Simon, the chief clerk of the Chamber of Accounts of the city of Lille
Lille, Spanish Netherlands: 1630. Folio (17 1/2 x 12 inches approx). Mounted on guards throughout. Roll 1 (signed twice by J.Simon): 15 vellum sheets, the majority folded, with a total of 27 columns of text (with 9 original integral vignette bodycolour paintings), and 22 rectangular panels flanked on either side by a thick gold rule, each panel approx. 4 1/2 inches wide and containing an original bodycolour painting of flowers with a single figure of a man (in 19 panels) or a bird (in 3 panels) - the men variously dressed in costume of the period and involved in various pursuits: hunting, cooking, fencing, playing a drum, etc. Roll 2 (signed once by J. Simon): 4 vellum sheets, 3 folded, with a total of 6 columns of text and 1 wide horizontal area also bearing text (with 5 integral vignette bodycolour paintings), and 6 rectangular panels (three thick panels approx. 5 3/4 inches wide; three thinner panels approx 3 3/4 inches wide) flanked on either side by a thick gold rule and each containing an original bodycolour painting of flowers with a single bird (in 4 panels); a bird and a snail (1 panel) or a bird, a butterfly and flowers (1 panel). 18th-century vellum over pasteboard, early manuscript title to spine. Provenance: Louis-François Quarré-Reybourbon (Lille, 'Collection Quarré-Reybourbon' 19th-century bookplate); Paul Anatole Auguste Marie Denis du Péage (Lille, 1874-1952, armorial bookplate).
An important early series of original botanical paintings from the European tradition of celebrating wealth and status through a show of rare and expensive varieties of tulips and others exotic cultivars. Originally produced for the De La Broye family, this series was more recently in the collections of two the foremost historians of Lille and its great families.
Despite their obvious historical importance, the chief interest of these manuscripts to the modern eye is undoubtedly the exceptional illuminated panels which separate each column of text. The overall theme is floral: not wild flowers but the extremely expensive cultivated flowers that were coming to prominence at the beginning of the seventeenth century - made popular in courtly circles from about 1600 by works such as Pierre Vallet's Le Jardin du Roy, Basilius Besler's record of the Prince Bishop's garden at Eichstätt, and the Hortus Floridus of Crispijn van de Passe. This concentration on exotic blooms in the present manuscripts was a deliberate attempt to link the De La Broye family with the opulence that these flowers implied. The most obvious of these luxury plants was the tulip, and given the time and the place where these drawings were done it is no surprise to find various cultivars of the tulip predominating - it is interesting to note that all the varieties shown are of the most expensive 'bybloemen' group. The courtly interest of the 1600s, had by the 1620s become more widespread, and from 1634 to 1637 tulips like the multi-coloured varieties pictured here, were the flowers which fuelled the 'tulipomania' craze in the Netherlands. At its height sums equal to the cost of a good-sized house on the waterfront in Amsterdam were gambled on single bulbs. These manuscripts form one of the earliest known collections of images of a significant number of different varieties of tulips: at least twenty are pictured, and although they are not identified they form a rare and valuable record of the cultivars of the period. In addition to tulips, the images also include pinks, narcissi, irises, martagon lilies, roses and asters.
The majority of images are further enlivened by the addition of what are possibly various members of the De La Broye family, all men, all dressed in costume of the period, and all undertaking worthy pursuits. These include a preponderance of military actions: firing a gun, on horseback with sword drawn, on foot with sword drawn, etc., but they are also shown hunting and cooking. All of these figures are placed at the foot of each panel and are worked to a completely different scale to the flowers. The panels without figures have birds or other animals added that are more in scale with the flowers around them. There is a further group of illustrations that are used to decorate the columns of text: a number of these appear to have been used to mask out areas of the text that were not required (the original text can be made out under the paintings), whilst others are used to great decorative effect. The images used in this group include hunting, fishing, animals against a naturalistic background and two men on horseback.
The two documents, produced for the De La Broye family of Lille, can be dated to a golden period for the city of Lille when the city and a large area of what is now northern France was ruled over by Spain and formed part of what was then known as the Spanish Netherlands. An examination of what is now a bound collection of vellum sheets of various sizes reveals that they were originally glued together to form two document rolls with the illuminated panels acting as dividers between each vertical column of text. Internal evidence shows that both rolls were compiled for the De La Broye family as 'proofs of nobility'. To achieve the status of 'gentleman' it was necessary for an individual 'in trade' to prove that his family had in the past been of sufficient standing to warrant him being elevated once again. To provide this proof the De la Broye family apparently retained the services of J. Simon the 'premier greffier' or chief clerk of the Chamber of Accounts of Lille. He arranged for the archives to be searched for every reference to the good work or good standing of the family. These extracts (dating from the 13th to the 16th century) were then copied out by skilled scribes using various calligraphic and textual hands (apparently in imitation of the originals). Each extract was headed by a precis of what it was and a note about which original document it had been taken from, and each was attested to by J. Simon. An overall summary of the findings was added which was signed by J. Simon (roll 1: signed twice and dated once 26 October 1630; roll 2: signed once).
Literature:
Blunt & Stearn,The Art of Botanical Illustration (1994) pp.127-146
P. Denis du Péage,Recueil de généalogies Lilloises. (1906-1908)
A. Pavord,The Tulip (1999) pp.137-177
L. Tongiorgi Tomasi, An Oak Spring Flora (1997) pp.267-306
#15247$150,000.00
 FURBER, Robert (c.1674-1756), [and Richard BRADLEY (1688-1732)]
The Flower Garden Display'd, in above Four Hundred Curious Representations of the most Beautiful Flowers; ... With the Description and History of each Plant and the Method of their Culture;... Very Useful, Not only for the Curious in Gardening, but the Prints likewise for Painters, Carvers, Japaners &c. also for the Ladies, as Patterns for Working, and Painting in Water-Colours; or Furniture for the Closet... To which is Added, A Flower-Garden for Gentlemen and Ladies; being The Art of raising Flowers without any Trouble, to blow in full Perfection in the Depth of Winter... also, The Method of raising Salletting, Cucumbers, Melons, &c. at any Time of Year. As it is practised by Sir Thomas More, Bart.
London: printed for R. Montagu, J. Brindley and C. Corbett, 1734. Quarto (9 15/16 x 7 3/8 inches). Title in red and black, one page publisher's advertisements at end. Hand coloured engraved frontispiece, 12 hand coloured engraved plates of flowers in vases, by James Smith after Pieter Casteels. (Small worm-track through lower margins, old browning with occasional repairs to a few leaves). Expertly bound to style in half 18th-century diced russia with marbled paper-covered boards, the flat spine divided into six compartments by gilt fillets and a Greek-key roll, red morocco lettering-piece in the second compartment, decorative repeat pattern of small tools and stylized foliage surrounding a larger flower spray tool. Provenance: Elizabeth Oldershaw (inscription noting the gift of the book from her uncle Henry Fleming, dated 1760).
Third edition, the second in quarto, with the addition of a section on hot-house gardening. This celebrated 18th-century nurseryman's catalogue is an important work both artistically and in the history of gardening, giving a contemporary account of the plants that were fashionable in the first half of the 18th century.
The plates are reduced from those in Furber's Twelve Months of Flowers published in 1730. This folio work `was conceived as a flower catalogue, but its commercial function was adroitly veiled and the artistic quality of its illustrations distinguishes it from the more modest pamphlets generally produced by floriculturists.. in this period' (Oak Spring Flora p.143). The plates are after Pieter Casteels (1684-1749), an artist of high renown. `Despite their great profusion, every flower in these compositions is readily identifiable. They range from native species to exotic specimens from the Americas [including a number received from Mark Catesby]' (op. cit. p.146).
Text was added to the present edition, as is explained in the introduction, because `we thought a particular description of the flowers, and the nature of their culture, which could not be express'd in the plates themselves, might hope for the same success... That to know only the names of the flowers, and to be ignorant of their culture, might occasion a continual expence in procuring such rarities, which one day, might live with them, and, for want of this necessary knowledge, might perish the next'
Dunthorne 114; Great Flower Books (1990) p.80; Henrey III.713; Hunt 493; Johnston Cleveland's Treasures from the World of Botanical Literature p.65; Massachusetts Horticultural Society p.100; Nissen BBI 677; cf. L. Tongiorgi Tomasi An Oak Spring Flora 37
#13447$24,000.00
 FURBER, Robert (c.1674-1756, publisher) - After Pieter CASTEELS (1684-1749)
[Twelve Months of Flowers]
Kensington: Robert Furber, 1730[-1732]. Folio (24 3/8 x 19 1/4 inches). Mounted on guards. Engraved throughout, list of subscribers (sheet size: 22 5/8 x 18 5/8 inches) with hand-coloured engraved decorative border, 12 hand-coloured plates by Henry Fletcher after Casteels (approx. sheet size: 21 2/4 x 17 3/4 inches). Expertly bound to style in 18th-century diced russia, covers with decorative roll at outer border, the flat spine divided into ten compartments with a greek-key roll flanked by pairs of fillets, red morocco lettering-piece in the second compartment, repeat decoration of a large flower-spray tool surrounded by small tools.
Rare complete first edition of this ground-breaking and highly decorative flower catalogue: an incomparable record of the most fashionable flowering plants of the early eighteenth century, here with the title/subscribers' page and fine contemporary hand-colouring
Furber was a nurseryman from Kensington, then on the outskirts of London. Twelve Months of Flowers presented almost 400 different flowering species, grouped according to the month in which they flower. Reflecting in style the grand manner of the Baroque period, the flowers are arranged in elaborate bouquets and placed in elegant urns. Next to each flower appears a number, which corresponds to a name in the key printed at the bottom of the plate on either side of a cartouche inscribed with the name of one of the months of the year.
Twelve Months was conceived as a flower catalogue, but its commercial function was adroitly veiled and the artistic quality of its illustrations distinguishes it from the more modest pamphlets generally produced by floriculturalists, including Furber himself, in this period. For the work, Furber sought the collaboration of Pieter Casteels (1684-1749), an artist from Antwerp who had achieved great renown throughout England for his paintings of birds and flowers, which decorated the walls of many aristocratic homes. Casteels designed the series of twelve floral plates, which were then engraved by Henry Fletcher, an artist well known for his engravings of famous paintings and portraits. The plates were designed to be afterwards coloured by hand, as they are in the present and the Oak Spring copy.' (Oak Spring Flora pp.145-146). The leaf which precedes the plates is engraved and printed on the recto only with a combination of subscriber's list (with a list of over 430 wealthy subscribers), dedication and title page (with the title of the work and the names of the authors). This page is framed by a wide border including a number of the showier flowering plants, including tulips, irises and many auriculas, a very popular flower at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Many new species were cultivated and, like the tulip a century earlier, named after a famous contemporary or classical figure, such as the "Earl of Derby", "Artemesia" or "Ascanius."' (op. cit.).
One of the remarkable features of each of the twelve plates, is that despite 'their great profusion, every flower in these compositions is readily identifiable. they range from native species to exotic specimens from America: Furber records that he received various specimens from Mark Catesby, "a very curious gentleman from Virginia' ... Thus we can see the blossoms from an "American flowering maple" ... and a "Virginian flowering maple" ... in the plate for the month of March (nos. 12 and 15), a "Virginian Scarlet honeysuckle" ... in the plate for July (no. 24), and a 'Virginian Birthwort" ... in the plate for September (no. 10).' (op. cit.)
Dunthorne 113; Great Flower Books (1990) p.95; Henrey II, pp.343-346 & III.733; Nissen BBI 674; Oak Spring Flora 37
#16729$65,000.00
 GAYOT, Eugène (1808-1891)
Administration des Haras. Atlas statistique de la production des chevaux en France; documents pour servir á l'histoire naturelle-agricole des Races chevalines du Pays
Paris: Paul Dupont, 1850. Folio (24 3/4 x 17 4/5 inches). 55 lithographic plates by François-Hippolyte Lalaisse, on 31 leaves, all on india paper mounted, (7 full-page plates, 48 shown two to a page on 24 leaves), 27 hand-coloured engraved maps. Contemporary red half morocco, spine in six compartments with raised bands, the bands outlined in blind, lettered in gilt in the second compartment, gilt 'Atheneum' stamp in the sixth, simple repeat decoration of a gilt arabesque in other compartments, top edges gilt, others uncut (foot of spine repaired, some rubbing to extremities). Provenance: Comte de Franqueville (presentation copy to the Athenaeum Library, 3-page autograph letter, dated 4 June 1872, by de Franqueville bound-in at beginning); Athenaeum Library (bookplate, gilt stamp to binding, cancellation stamp).
A fine copy of this rare work, with exceptional equestrian plates by François-Hippolyte Lalaisse.
This important and beautiful work pictures, chronicles and numbers the various breeds of horse that existed in France in 1850. General Mennessier de la Lance notes that 'C'est un ouvrage considérable, intéressant et très bien documenté ... Il ne se rencontre pas très souvent et est toujours recherché des amateurs, tant à cause des sujets traités que pour les belles lithographies de Lalaisse'. (Essai de Bibliographie Hippique vol.II, p.537). Gayot looks at the equine population by region (represented by the 27 maps) and gives some detailed analysis of each area. This is followed by one or two lithographs by Lalaisse. These are usually half-page portraits of individual breeds, but there are also seven full-page more general scenes of specific locations, or group portraits of various types of horse.
Gayot, who trained as a vet, served as both 'inspector general' and 'director general' of the French national stud farms. His interests within the field of agriculture were wide-ranging, but it as an expert on horses in general and the 'anglo-normand' breed in particular that he is best remembered. A number of his works were illustrated, generally by Lalaisse, but the present work is undoubtedly the greatest result of this partnership. 'Lalaisse était un dessinateur habile et consciencieux ... l'anatomie et l'extérieur du cheval sont alors très bien rendus et on reconnait, dans les oeuvres de sa maturité, une étude patiente et assidue de la nature' (op.cit vol.I, p.31).
Huth p.172; Mennessier de la Lance I, p.537
#16753$7,000.00
 GERARD, John (1545-1612)
The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes... very much enlarged and amended by Thomas Johnson
London: Adam Islip, Joice Norton & Richard Whitakers, 1633. Folio (13 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches). Engraved architectural title by John Payne showing Theophrastus and Dioscorides, Ceres and Pomona (Johnson, 'Title-pages', p. 50; Payne no. 9), approximately 2,760 woodcuts in text, numerous woodcut initials. (Title mounted, single wormtrack affecting about 35 leaves at the beginning). Expertly rebacked incorporating old calf panels, covers within triple fillet borders, spine in seven compartments with raised bands, red morocco lettering piece in the second, the other compartments with overall repeat decoration in gilt made up from various stylized flower and foliage tools in gilt.
The preferred second edition of Gerard's "Herbal," the first edition of Thomas Johnson's expanded version with over 2,760 woodcuts.
Gerard was superintendent of the gardens of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, one of the most influential members of the court of Elizabeth I. In addition to his work for Lord Burghley, Gerard also raised many exotic plants in his own gardens and travelled extensively in search of new specimens. The first edition of the present work, published in 1597, was much praised for the elegance of the descriptions, but Johnson's re-editing of the work after Gerard's death greatly improved the accuracy and breadth of the original work. It is almost half as long again as the first edition of 1597 and is, in every respect, superior to its predecessor. Johnson was commissioned by the publishers to produce this amended and enlarged edition at short notice in order to forestall Parkinson's Theatrum Botanicum, believed to be imminent, (it finally appeared in 1640), and he complains bitterly in his preface that he "was forced to perform this task within the compasse of a year", - an almost superhuman effort.
As was the case with the first edition, the woodblocks were acquired from abroad, this time from Plantin, who had used them for his editions of Dodoens, de l'Écluse, and Lobel (a few of the smaller woodcuts may thus have in fact originated in England, with Thomas Purfoot's edition of Pena and Lobel's Stirpium adversaria nova, Plantin having purchased the woodblocks in 1580). Some of the figures Johnson drew himself, notably the bunch of bananas on page 1516. This had been given to him on 10th April 1633 by Dr. Argent, President of the College of Physicians of London, who had received it from Bermuda. Johnson's drawing is the first illustration of bananas to be published in England. Having drawn and described them, he says - "the stalke with the fruit thereon I hanged up in my shop, where it became ripe about the beginning of May, and lasted until June".
Arber p. 282; Brunet II, 1548; Hunt 223; Nissen BBI 698; STC 11751.
#13527$6,250.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881) and Richard Bowdler SHARPE (1847-1909)
Erythrotriorchis Dorlae [Goshawk]
London: Taylor and Francis for Henry Sotheran & Co., 1875-88. Hand-coloured lithograph by Gould and William Hart, printed by the Mintern Brothers. Very good condition apart from a few light foxing marks. Sheet size: 21 5/8 x 14 3/8 inches. 1 7/8" Curly Maple frame, with dark amber finish. Frame size: 30 1/8 x 22 3/4 inches.
A beautiful print from Gould's "Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia."
This plate is from one of Gould's most exotic works, The Birds of New Guinea, which consists of an extensive series of beautiful plates of birds of paradise, bower birds, parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, kingfishers and hawk-owls. It is his last full-scale work, Gould prepared the first twelve of the twenty-five parts, and the work was finished posthumously by Sharpe. A broadside "Address to the Subscribers" of The Birds of New Guinea issued by Sotheran and Co. announced: "With respect...to the Birds of New Guinea, we have the pleasure to announce that, having purchased the entire stock and copyrights of Mr. Gould's Magnificent series of Works, we have made immediate preparations for completing those left unfinished; and having retained the services of Mr. Gould's entire staff of artists and colourists, we are confident that the work will be as well performed as during the life of the Author. Mr. Hart...will superintend the whole of the illustrations as heretofore; while the letterpress will be edited by Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, of the British Museum, whose name will be sufficient assurance that nothing will be wanting in this department."
Anker 181; Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; Nissen, IVB, 373; Sauer, 27; Wood, p.365; Zimmer, pp.262-263.
#13562$1,950.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881) and Richard Bowdler SHARPE (1847-1909)
Harpyopsis Novae Guineae [New Guinea Eagle]
London: Taylor and Francis for Henry Sotheran & Co., 1875-88. Hand-coloured lithograph by Gould and William Hart, printed by the Mintern Brothers. Very good condition. Sheet size: 21 5/8 x 14 3/8 inches. 1 7/8" Curly Maple frame, with dark amber finish. Frame size: 30 1/8 x 22 3/4 inches.
A beautiful print from Gould's "Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia."
This plate is from one of Gould's most exotic works, The Birds of New Guinea, which consists of an extensive series of beautiful plates of birds of paradise, bower birds, parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, kingfishers, and hawk-owls. It is his last full-scale work. Gould prepared the first twelve of the twenty-five parts, and the work was finished posthumously by Sharpe. A broadside "Address to the Subscribers" of The Birds of New Guinea issued by Sotheran and Co. announced: "With respect...to the Birds of New Guinea, we have the pleasure to announce that, having purchased the entire stock and copyrights of Mr. Gould's Magnificent series of Works, we have made immediate preparations for completing those left unfinished; and having retained the services of Mr. Gould's entire staff of artists and colourists, we are confident that the work will be as well performed as during the life of the Author. Mr. Hart...will superintend the whole of the illustrations as heretofore; while the letterpress will be edited by Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, of the British Museum, whose name will be sufficient assurance that nothing will be wanting in this department."
Anker 181; Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; Nissen, IVB, 373; Sauer, 27; Wood, p.365; Zimmer, pp.262-263.
#13561$1,950.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881) and Richard Bowdler SHARPE (1847-1909)
Seleucides Nigricans [Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise]
London: Taylor and Francis for Henry Sotheran & Co., 1875-88. Hand-coloured lithograph by Gould and William Hart, printed by the Mintern Brothers. Very good condition apart from some overall slight soiling. Sheet size: 22 x 15 1/8 inches.
A beautiful print from Gould's "Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia."
This plate is from one of Gould's most exotic works, The Birds of New Guinea, which consists of an extensive series of beautiful plates of birds of paradise, bower birds, parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, kingfishers, and hawk-owls. This is the last of his full scale works. Gould prepared the first twelve of the twenty-five parts, and the work was finished posthumously by Sharpe. A broadside "Address to the Subscribers" of The Birds of New Guinea issued by Sotheran and Co. announced: "With respect...to the 'Birds of New Guinea', we have the pleasure to announce that, having purchased the entire stock and copyrights of Mr. Gould's Magnificent series of Works, we have made immediate preparations for completing those left unfinished; and having retained the services of Mr. Gould's entire staff of artists and colourists, we are confident that the work will be as well performed as during the life of the Author. Mr. Hart...will superintend the whole of the illustrations as heretofore; while the letterpress will be edited by Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, of the British Museum, whose name will be sufficient assurance that nothing will be wanting in this department."
Anker 181; Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; Nissen IVB 373; Sauer 27; Wood p.365; Zimmer, pp. 262-263.
#9213$2,400.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881, publisher)
Cygnus ferus [The Whistling or Wild Swan]
[London: by the Author, 1862 - 1873]. Hand-coloured lithograph by J.Wolf and H.C.Richter, printed by Walter. Wove paper. Sheet size: 14 1/8 x 21 1/4 inches.
A beautiful image from John Gould's 'The Birds of Great Britain': 'A magnificent work with life-like portraits of birds of the British Isles'. (Wood)
This plate, from what Sacheverell Sitwell called 'The most popular of all his works' ('Fine Bird Books'), shows a new liveliness of treatment that is not present in Gould's earlier works. This is thanks to suggestions made by Joseph Wolf, who drew 57 of the plates and accompanied Gould on an ornithological tour of Scandinavia in 1856.
Gould's illustrations were all painstakingly coloured by hand, as he states in his Preface: "Many of the public are quite unaware how the colouring of these large plates is accomplished; and not a few believe that they are produced by some mechanical process or by chromo-lithography. This, however, is not the case; every sky with its varied tints and every feather of each bird were coloured by hand.
Cf.Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 102; cf. Nissen IVB 372; cf. Sauer 23; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 261.
#5596$2,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881, publisher)
Phasianus scintillans [Sparkling Pheasant]
[London: by the Author, 1850-1883]. Hand-coloured lithograph by J.Wolf and H.C.Richter, printed by Walter. Wove paper. Sheet size: 14 5/8 x 21 1/4 inches.
A fine image from John Gould's magnificent folio work 'The Birds of Asia'.
Gould notes that the chief glory of the breeding plummage of the male Sparkling Pheasant are 'the feathers of of the lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts', 'being perfect in their structure and most richly coloured'. He admits that at the time of the publication little was known of this subspecies, other than the two examples pictured were from Yokohama in Japan.
The intended geographical range of "The Birds of Asia" was enormous, and very much in keeping with the seemingly limitless self-belief of the 19th-century's best known ornithologist. In his all-encompassing work John Gould includes species from all corners of the eastern world, as Richard Bowdler Sharpe noted the work covers "Species from Palestine to the eastward, and from the Moluccas to the west". Gould chose to record the bird life from an area which, with the exception of the tropical areas of the American continent, includes the widest, and most colourful variety of bird life to be found anywhere in the world.
The present plate is from a large number of images documenting the pheasants of the region, one of the most beautiful and varied of all bird families.
Cf. Anker 178; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; cf. Nissen IVB 368; cf. Sauer 17; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p.258.
#5577$4,000.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America
London: Richard & John E. Taylor for the Author, November 1844 - March 1846 - November 1850. 3 original parts, folio (22 1/8 x 15 inches). 1p. list of subscribers, smaller format 1p. 'Prospectus' (17 1/2 x 11 3/8 inches) dated 1 November 1844 and 1p. 'Directions to the Binder' (11 1/4 x 9 inches) tipped in at front of parts I and III respectively. 32 hand-coloured lithographic plates by Gould and Henry Constantine Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. (Old light creasing to the 'Directions to the Binder' leaf). Original embossed cloth-backed oatmeal paper boards, the upper covers with letterpress titling and contents in black, modern dark green morocco-backed dark green cloth box, the 'spine' in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in the second and third, the others with elaborate repeat decoration in gilt built up from various small tools. Provenance: Arthur Wm. Young (inscription dated '29 March 1881' on the upper cover of part I).
A fine copy in the rare original parts of the first edition of Gould's fourth monograph, in which he considerably enlarged the number of recorded species of the American partridge family.
This set is as issued to an original (anonymous) subscriber: it is in original parts with the printed boards bearing individual publication dates and the subscriber's price of £2.10, and it contains both the Prospectus and 'Directions to the Binder.' The sheets retain their full size, and the colouring is very fresh. Besides the spectacular plates of American birds, this work is interesting for the light it throws on the all encompassing nature of science before specialization: Gould was inspired by the gift of an English Arctic explorer, received much useful information from a Scottish botanist and finally dedicated the work to the French ornithologist Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857) the author of American Ornithology. In this Gould's fourth monograph, he considerably enlarged the number of recorded species of the American partridge family. Gould was persuaded to undertake this project "by the sight of the beautiful Callipepla Californica, presented to the Zoological Society of London by Captain Beechey, in 1830. The graceful actions and elegant deportment of these birds inspired me with a desire to become thoroughly acquainted with the entire group of which they form a part; this desire was even strengthened by the details furnished to me by the late celebrated traveller and botanist, Mr. David Douglas, respecting species seen by him in California, of the existence of which we had until then no idea ... In the course of my researches I have several times visited most of the public and many of the private collections of Europe, and have besides corresponded with various persons in America: the result is that I have had the pleasure of extending our knowledge of the group from eleven to no less than thirty-five species'. (Preface).
Anker 176; Nissen IVB 376; Sauer 13; Wood p.365; Zimmer p. 257.
#17291$39,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America
London: Richard & John E. Taylor for the Author, [November 1844 - March 1846 - November] 1850. Folio (21 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches). 1p. list of subscribers. 32 fine hand-coloured lithographed plates after Gould and H. C. Richter. Contemporary green morocco gilt by Clyde, covers with wide decorative border tooled in gilt and blind with fillets and decorative rolls, spine in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in the second and third, the others with repeat decoration in gilt made up from various small tools, stylized foliage tools and a large central rococo tool, gilt turn-ins, cream/yellow glazed endpapers, gilt edges, expert repairs to spine and extremities.
A fine copy of the first edition of Gould's fourth monograph, in which he considerably enlarged the number of recorded species of the American partridge family.
Besides the spectacular plates of American birds, this work is interesting for the light it throws on the all encompassing nature of science before specialization: Gould was inspired by the gift of an English Arctic explorer, received much useful information from a Scottish botanist and finally dedicated the work to the French ornithologist Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857) the author of American Ornithology. In this, Gould's fourth monograph, he considerably enlarged the number of recorded species of the American partridge family. Gould was persuaded to undertake this project "by the sight of the beautiful Callipepla Californica, presented to the Zoological Society of London by Captain Beechey, in 1830. The graceful actions and elegant deportment of these birds inspired me with a desire to become thoroughly acquainted with the entire group of which they form a part; this desire was even strengthened by the details furnished to me by the late celebrated traveller and botanist, Mr. David Douglas, respecting species seen by him in California, of the existence of which we had until then no idea ... In the course of my researches I have several times visited most of the public and many of the private collections of Europe, and have besides corresponded with various persons in America: the result is that I have had the pleasure of extending our knowledge of the group from eleven to no less than thirty-five species.' (Preface).
Anker 176; Fine Bird Books (1990) p.102; Nissen IVB 376; Sauer 13; Wood p.365; Zimmer p. 257.
#18637$34,000.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aix Galericulata [Mandarin Duck]
[London: by the Author, 1850-1883]. Hand-coloured lithograph by Joseph Wolf and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Wove paper. Very good condition apart from some minor soiling, a few light foxing marks, and slight discolouration of the paper due to age. Sheet size: 14 1/2 x 21 1/4 inches.
A fine image from John Gould's magnificent folio work "The Birds of Asia."
The male Mandarin duck is the most beautiful and unusual of all the ducks. Though they once flourished in eastern Asia, they are considered endangered in their native habitat. The Mandarin duck has been a popular import to Europe since the 17th century and has a small but adapted population there.
In traditional Chinese lore, the Mandarin is a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity.
The intended geographical range of "The Birds of Asia" was enormous, and very much in keeping with the seemingly limitless self-belief of the 19th-century's best-known ornithologist. In his all-encompassing work John Gould includes species from all corners of the eastern world, as Richard Bowdler Sharpe noted the work covers "Species from Palestine to the eastward, and from the Moluccas to the west". Gould chose to record the bird life from an area which, with the exception of the tropical areas of the American continent, includes the widest, and most colourful variety of bird life to be found anywhere in the world.
Cf. Anker 178; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 102; cf. Nissen IVB 368; cf. Sauer 17; cf. Wood, p. 365; cf. Zimmer, p.258.
#14326$3,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Andigena Hypoglaucus [Pl. 38]
[Pl. 38]. [London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14874$1,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacoramphus Albivitta [Pl. 49]
[Pl. 49]. [London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14866$1,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacoramphus Caeruleicinctus
[London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14781$2,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacoramphus Cataneorhynchus [The Chestnut Groove-bill Toucanet]
[London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Wove paper. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
"The range of this subspecies extends from the Panama Canal southwards to north Colombia and Venezuela. It differs from R. s. sulfuratus in only one or two details: the bill is about a third shorter, squat and in some birds the red on the tip is less conspicuous; the red band below the yellow breast is broader...They roost with their bills hidden under their feathers and their tails flat over their backs. They utter strange shrill cries like a piglet screaming, but only when they feel threatened." (A. Rutgers, Birds of South America, 1972, p.149)
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#10002$2,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacorhamphus Derbianus [Pl. 43]
[Pl. 43]. [London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14867$1,850.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Aulacorhamphus Prasinus [Pl. 47]
[Pl. 47]. [London: by the Author, 1854]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H. C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches.
A fine image from the expanded second edition of John Gould's "A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans."
The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America, and some West Indian islands. The first time that any member of the family was described was by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes in his "de la natural hystoria de las Indias." (Toledo, 1526, chapter 42) In 1555 Pierre Belon included an illustration of its beak in his "L'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux." (Paris, 1555, p. 184) Andre Thevet first used the name 'Toucan' with a long description, and a woodcut of a whole bird, in his "Singularitez de la France" (Paris, 1555, pp.88-90). The Latin name "Burhynchus" or "Ramphestes" (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ("Icones Avium", 1560, p.130), and Linnaeus later adopted Aldrovandus' corrupted form of the latter ("Ramphastos"), which is how the family was still recognized at the time of the publication of the present image.
The first edition of Gould's work, published in 1833-1835, represented the first concerted attempt to produce a monograph on the family. The present image is from the second expanded edition, which Gould considered to be a completely separate work: the plates were all re-drawn and the text re-written.
Cf. Anker 170; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 101; cf. Nissen IVB 378; cf. Sauer 3; cf. Wood, p. 364; cf. Zimmer, p. 252.
#14878$1,750.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Black Cormorant. Phalacrocorax graculus
London: [by the Author, 1832-1837]. Lithograph, coloured by hand, by J & E. Gould, printed by C. Hullmandel. Very good condition apart from some overall light soiling. Sheet size: 13 15/16 x 20 5/8 inches.
A beautiful image from John Gould's 'The Birds of Europe': a work which, according to Hyman, 'included some of the most remarkable bird drawings ever made'.
This plate is from the second of John Gould's great ornithological portfolios. Gould undertook this work not only hoping to build on the success of his first work (on the birds of the Himalaya mountains), but also in an effort to redress the imbalance between the study of local and foreign ornithology. It was his opinion that too much attention had focused on the exotic, whilst the beauty of the more local species was ignored. He wrote in the preface to the work from which this image comes: 'It has been frequently remarked that the productions of distant countries have received a much larger share of attention than those objects by which we are more immediately surrounded; and it is certainly true, that while numerous and costly illustrations have made us acquainted with the Ornithology of most other parts of the world, the Birds of Europe, in which we are, or ought to be, more interested, have not received that degree of attention which they naturally demand. The present work has been undertaken to supply that deficiency.'
The images in this work are the first to be published by Gould that show the liveliness of treatment that was to become such a feature of later works. This break from the traditional methods of bird depiction can be largely attributed to the influence of and contributions from Edward Lear: 'They are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, [for] it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm'. (Hyman)
Cf. Anker 169; cf.Balis 101; cf.Fine Bird Books (1990), p. 102; cf.Nissen IVB 371; cf.Sauer 2; cf.Zimmer p. 251.
#9273$1,200.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Cephalepis Lalandi [De Lalande's Plover-crest]
[London: by the Author, 1849-1887]. Hand-coloured lithograph by H.C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Beautifully heightened with gold iridescence. Wove paper. Very good condition apart from some minor browning to margins. Sheet size: 22 x 15 1/8 inches.
A beautiful image, heightened with gold iridescence, from 'A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds', John Gould's 'masterpiece, [which]... must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauty' ('Fine Bird Books').
'There is no one appreciative of the beauties of nature who will not recall... with delight the time when a live humming-bird first met his gaze. The suddenness of the apparition, even when expected, and its brief duration, are alone enough to fix the fluttering vision on the mind's eye.... The beautiful nests of humming-birds... will be found on examination to be very solidly and tenaciously built, though the materials are generally of the slightest - cotton-wool or some vegetable down and spider's webs' (Alfred Newton in 'The Encyclopedia Britannica 1911, vol. 13, p.887). The Hummingbird family includes members that are the smallest birds in the world. The largest measures no more than 8 1/2 inches and the smallest 2 3/8 inches in length. They are confined to the American continent and its islands, but are wide ranging within this limitation, with over 400 different species covering an area from the fuchias of Tierra del Fuego in the south to the althaea bushes of Toronto gardens in the north.
The present image is from the work of which Gould himself was most proud. Hummingbirds remained a fascination for him throughout his professional life, as evidenced by his collection of 1500 mounted specimens, which were exhibited in the Royal Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park, London, in 1851 as part of the festivities surrounding the Great Exhibition. The exhibit proved a great success, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert numbering among the 75,000 visitors.
Cf. Anker 177; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.101; cf. Nissen IVB 380; cf. Sauer 16 & 29; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 258.
#18696$1,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Cephalepis Loddigesi [Loddiges' Plover-crest]
[London: by the Author, 1849-1887]. Hand-coloured lithograph by H.C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Beautifully heightened with gold iridescence. Wove paper. Very good condition apart from some minor browning to margins. Sheet size: 22 x 15 inches.
A beautiful image, heightened with gold iridescence, from 'A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds', John Gould's 'masterpiece, [which]... must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauty' ('Fine Bird Books').
'There is no one appreciative of the beauties of nature who will not recall... with delight the time when a live humming-bird first met his gaze. The suddenness of the apparition, even when expected, and its brief duration, are alone enough to fix the fluttering vision on the mind's eye.... The beautiful nests of humming-birds... will be found on examination to be very solidly and tenaciously built, though the materials are generally of the slightest - cotton-wool or some vegetable down and spider's webs' (Alfred Newton in 'The Encyclopedia Britannica 1911, vol. 13, p.887). The Hummingbird family includes members that are the smallest birds in the world. The largest measures no more than 8 1/2 inches and the smallest 2 3/8 inches in length. They are confined to the American continent and its islands, but are wide ranging within this limitation, with over 400 different species covering an area from the fuchias of Tierra del Fuego in the south to the althaea bushes of Toronto gardens in the north.
The present image is from the work of which Gould himself was most proud. Hummingbirds remained a fascination for him throughout his professional life, as evidenced by his collection of 1500 mounted specimens, which were exhibited in the Royal Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park, London, in 1851 as part of the festivities surrounding the Great Exhibition. The exhibit proved a great success, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert numbering among the 75,000 visitors.
Cf. Anker 177; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.101; cf. Nissen IVB 380; cf. Sauer 16 & 29; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p. 258.
#18693$1,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Ceriornis caboti [Dr. Cabot's Horned Pheasant]
[London: by the Author, 1850-1883]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and H.C.Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Wove paper. (Paper somewhat browned). Sheet size: 14 3/4 x 21 1/2 inches.
A fine image from John Gould's magnificent folio work 'The Birds of Asia'.
'Among the eminent and liberal men I had the pleasure of becoming acquianted with during my visit to the United States of America in the summer of 1857, was Dr. Cabot of Boston... In his collection were many rarities, some of which especially interested me, but none more so than the remarkable bird represented on the... [present] plate, and which had been received by him from China... I could no other information respecting the bird [other] than that it was from... the neighbourhood of Macao' (Gould).
The intended geographical range of "The Birds of Asia" was enourmous, and very much in keeping with the seemingly limitless self-belief of the 19th-century's best known ornithologist. In his all-encompasing work John Gould includes species from all corners of the eastern world, as Richard Bowdler Sharpe noted the work covers "Species from Palestine to the eastward, and from the Moluccas to the west". Gould chose to record the bird life from an area which, with the exception of the tropical areas of the American continent, includes the widest, and most colourful variety of bird life to be found anywhere in the world.
The present plate is from a large number of images documenting the pheasants of the region, one of the most beautiful and varied of all bird families.
Cf. Anker 178; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; cf. Nissen IVB 368; cf. Sauer 17; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p.258.
#5572$3,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Chalcophasis sclateri [Sclater's Monal (Lophophorus sclateri)]
[London: by the Author, 1850-1883]. Hand-coloured lithograph by John Gould and William Hart, printed by Walter. Wove paper. (Paper somewhat browned). Sheet size: 14 3/4 x 21 1/2 inches.
A fine image from John Gould's magnificent folio work 'The Birds of Asia'.
'Sclater's Monal occurs in the mountain regions of northern Assam, south-east Tibet, north-east Burma and Yunnan... The first account of the species was published by Jerdon in 1870... Sclater's Monal lives in dense conifer forests with an undergrowth of rhododendrons, up to an altitude of 10,000 feet.' (A.Rutgers Birds of Asia 1969, p.25).
The intended geographical range of "The Birds of Asia" was enormous, and very much in keeping with the seemingly limitless self-belief of the 19th-century's best known ornithologist. In his all-encompassing work John Gould includes species from all corners of the eastern world, as Richard Bowdler Sharpe noted the work covers "Species from Palestine to the eastward, and from the Moluccas to the west". Gould chose to record the bird life from an area which, with the exception of the tropical areas of the American continent, includes the widest, and most colourful variety of bird life to be found anywhere in the world.
The present plate is from a large number of images documenting the pheasants of the region, one of the most beautiful and varied of all bird families.
Cf. Anker 178; cf. Fine Bird Books (1990), p.102; cf. Nissen IVB 368; cf. Sauer 17; cf. Wood p. 365; cf. Zimmer p.258.
#5558$2,500.00
 GOULD, John (1804-1881)
Coeligena purpurea [Purple Coeligene]
[London: by the Author, 1849-1887]. Hand-coloured lithograph by H.C. Richter, printed by Hullmandel & Walton. Heightened with gum arabic. Wove paper. Very good condition. Sheet size: 21 7/8 x 15 1/8 inches.
A beautiful image, heightened with gold iridescence, from 'A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds', John Gould's 'masterpiece, [which]... must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder... an incomparable catalogue and compendium of beauty' ('Fine Bird Books').
'There is no one appreciative of the beauties of nature who will not recall... with delight the time when a live humming-bird first met his gaze. The suddenness of the apparition, even when expected, and its brief duration, are alone enough to fix the fluttering vision on the mind's eye.... The beautiful nests of humming-birds... will be found on examination to be very solidly and tenaciously built, though the materials are generally of the slightest - cotton-wool or some vegetable down and spider's webs' (Alfred Newton in 'The Encyclopedia Britannica 1911, vol. 13, p.887). The Hummingbird family includes members that are the smallest birds in the world. The largest measures no more than 8 1/2 inches and the smallest 2 3/8 inches in length. They are confined to the American continent and its islands, but are wide ranging within this limitation, with over 400 different species covering an area from the fuchias of Tierra del Fuego in the south to the althaea bushes of Toronto gardens in the north.
The present image is from the | | | |
