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Details
John Gould (1804-1881)
A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans. London: Taylor and Francis for the Author, [1852]-1854. Large 2° (542 x 364mm). Small format 'To the Binder' leaf bound after title. 51 lithographic plates signed by Gould & Richter, hand-coloured stet by a later hand, and one uncoloured lithographic plate by and after G. Scharf, printed by Hullmandel & Walton, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED WITH THE 33 HAND-COLOURED PLATES FROM THE FIRST EDITION, 10 BY EDWARD LEAR, the others by John and Elizabeth Gould, all printed by Charles Hullmandel, bound in at end. (Light spotting to outer margin of text leaf describing "Andigena Cuculatus/Hooded Hill Toucan".) Contemporary dark green morocco, covers with wide decorative gilt border, expertly re-backed to style by Bernard Middleton, spine gilt in six compartments with double-raised bands, lettered in the second and fourth, the others with elaborate repeat decoration in gilt, yellow glazed endpapers, gilt turn-ins, gilt edges.
THE SECOND EDITION OF GOULD'S FIRST MONOGRAPH, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED WITH THE PLATES FROM THE FIRST EDITION OF 1833-35. The uncoloured plate accompanies Richard Owen's text on the anatomy of the toucan, written especially for the work. Gould liked to regard the second edition as a new work, both in terms of the number of new species he describes and because, as a result of these discoveries, he proposes a new division of the group into six genera, rather than the original two. The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America and some West Indian islands. 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 Aldrovandus's corrupted form of the latter (Ramphastos) was adopted by Linnaeus. Lear's toucans with their enormous bills and absurdly gleeful expressions are regarded as among the best of his zoological drawings. He was not credited, and in the second edition his name was obliterated from the plates, and substituted by the names of Gould & Richter (see Peter Levi, Edward Lear, 1995, pp. 40-41). Anker 170; Fine Bird Books (1990) p.77 (number of coloured plates in the second edition given incorrectly as 52); Nissen IVB 378; Sauer 19; Zimmer p.259.
A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans. London: Taylor and Francis for the Author, [1852]-1854. Large 2° (542 x 364mm). Small format 'To the Binder' leaf bound after title. 51 lithographic plates signed by Gould & Richter, hand-coloured stet by a later hand, and one uncoloured lithographic plate by and after G. Scharf, printed by Hullmandel & Walton, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED WITH THE 33 HAND-COLOURED PLATES FROM THE FIRST EDITION, 10 BY EDWARD LEAR, the others by John and Elizabeth Gould, all printed by Charles Hullmandel, bound in at end. (Light spotting to outer margin of text leaf describing "Andigena Cuculatus/Hooded Hill Toucan".) Contemporary dark green morocco, covers with wide decorative gilt border, expertly re-backed to style by Bernard Middleton, spine gilt in six compartments with double-raised bands, lettered in the second and fourth, the others with elaborate repeat decoration in gilt, yellow glazed endpapers, gilt turn-ins, gilt edges.
THE SECOND EDITION OF GOULD'S FIRST MONOGRAPH, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED WITH THE PLATES FROM THE FIRST EDITION OF 1833-35. The uncoloured plate accompanies Richard Owen's text on the anatomy of the toucan, written especially for the work. Gould liked to regard the second edition as a new work, both in terms of the number of new species he describes and because, as a result of these discoveries, he proposes a new division of the group into six genera, rather than the original two. The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America and some West Indian islands. 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 Aldrovandus's corrupted form of the latter (Ramphastos) was adopted by Linnaeus. Lear's toucans with their enormous bills and absurdly gleeful expressions are regarded as among the best of his zoological drawings. He was not credited, and in the second edition his name was obliterated from the plates, and substituted by the names of Gould & Richter (see Peter Levi, Edward Lear, 1995, pp. 40-41). Anker 170; Fine Bird Books (1990) p.77 (number of coloured plates in the second edition given incorrectly as 52); Nissen IVB 378; Sauer 19; Zimmer p.259.
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