Details
BEWICK, Thomas (1753-1828). History of British Birds.. vol.I... Land Birds [vol.II... Water Birds]. Newcastle: for Bewick and others, 1797 [but 1798]-1805.
2 volumes, imperial 8° (253 x 159mm). Wood-engraved title vignettes, decorations and illustrations by Bewick, the Land Birds with 110 of the illustrations and 44 of the decorations finely hand-coloured by a contemporary hand. Contemporary diced russia gilt, the covers with ruled and greek-key pattern borders, the spines in six compartments with double raised bands, lettered in one the others with pointillé and small-tool decoration, gilt turn-ins, g.e., by John Shalders, with his Great Yarmouth ticket in vol.I.
A VERY FINE SET of a work by a pivotal figure in 19th-century illustration. Second edition of vol.I, third edition of vol.II. Both volumes were issued in at least three different formats: imperial 8° being the the most expensive. Shalders work is represented in the British Library (2 bindings were purchased by them from the Holkham Hall library), see also Maggs cat.1014, item 59 for another example of his work ("equal to anything being produced in London at this date"). Roscoe 15a & 18a. (2)
2 volumes, imperial 8° (253 x 159mm). Wood-engraved title vignettes, decorations and illustrations by Bewick, the Land Birds with 110 of the illustrations and 44 of the decorations finely hand-coloured by a contemporary hand. Contemporary diced russia gilt, the covers with ruled and greek-key pattern borders, the spines in six compartments with double raised bands, lettered in one the others with pointillé and small-tool decoration, gilt turn-ins, g.e., by John Shalders, with his Great Yarmouth ticket in vol.I.
A VERY FINE SET of a work by a pivotal figure in 19th-century illustration. Second edition of vol.I, third edition of vol.II. Both volumes were issued in at least three different formats: imperial 8° being the the most expensive. Shalders work is represented in the British Library (2 bindings were purchased by them from the Holkham Hall library), see also Maggs cat.1014, item 59 for another example of his work ("equal to anything being produced in London at this date"). Roscoe 15a & 18a. (2)