Wilson Bonaparte American Ornithology

WILSON, Alexander; Prince Charles Lucian Bonaparte; American Ornithology or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States; the Illustrative Notes, and Life of Wilson by Sir William Jardine, London, Whittaker, Treacher & Arnot, [1832], First Jardine edition

8vo [22 x 14.5 cm]; 3 volumes, cvii, 408; vii, 390; vii, 523 pp, engraved frontis (port), 97 fine hand-color plates, index. contemporary leather, gilt spine title lettering, gilt ruled borders on covers, a. e. g., one volume professionally rebacked, joint repaired, edges rubbed, light offsetting of some plates on text page, interiors & plates clean and fine in very good cover. Anker 533 on first edition: "This classical work of American ornithological literature was first issued in 1808. . . . In 1825-33, Bonaparte issued his American Ornithology, of birds inhabiting the United States not given by Wilson, an independent work designed on the same principles as that of Wilson, and therefore regarded as a sequel to that work, for which reason the two works were issued together in several editions." Wood 630. Nissen 996. Sitwell 157. Sabin 104598. Zimmer p685. Anker 534. Bennet p114 on the rare 1st edition: "the first truly great American ornithology and also the first truly outstanding American color plate book of any type". This edition contains the notes and life of Wilson by Sir William Jardine. A useful and important work, pre-dating Audubon's Birds of America. 'This is, by far, the best edition of the American Ornithology, both on account of the beautiful plates and the interesting Notes of the Editor. Every ornithologist must, of course, possess the work, and he should if possible procure this edition' [Neville Wood]. The first edition of 1808 with 76 plates, was the first American bird book with colored plates. This Jardine edition added 21 plates, together with much introductory material. Later editions had inferior plates, which were both inaccurate. A picture of this book is available on request by email.

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BROWN, T. Illustrations of the American Ornithology of Alexander Wilson and Charles Lucien Bonaparte, Prince of Musignano. With the Addition of Numerous Recently Discovered Species and Representations of the Whole Sylva of North America. 1831

Edinburgh: Frazer; Dublin: William Curry, Jnr.; and London: Smith, Elder, [1831]-1835. Large folio (527 x 406mm), with engraved title-page by James Turvey, engraved dedication leaf to David, Earl of Airlie, and 124 beautifully hand-coloured engraved plates after Brown, Alexander Wilson, A.Rider, Joseph B. Kidd, Turvey, W.H. Lizars, Samuel Milne, James Mayson, R. Scott, J. & J. Johnstone, and E. Mitchell, with three-page letterpress index, numerous plates with over-slips correcting the plate numbers, fine half russia gilt with marbled sides First edition, a superb copy of one of the scarcest colour-plate books on American ornithology from the library of Frederick Ducane Godman. Walter Faxon's census of copies of this work locates only seven complete and six incomplete. There have been only six complete copies at auction in the last twenty-five years. The title-page to this work refers only to the works by Wilson and Bonaparte, but included in the more than five hundred engravings are illustrations based on the works of Audubon, Selby and others. The index mentions that Brown added 161 birds to those covered by Wilson and Bonaparte, with a further 87 being "considerably enlarged." 'Brown's 'Illustrations of the American ornithology' of Wilson and Bonaparte (1831-1835), dazzles the eye, and a particularly lovely copy reposes in the Hill Collection' (Hill collection). There are 167 Trees and Shrubs represented, all of which are identified in the index. These plates display the best work of the leading engravers of Edinburgh at the time, including W.H. Lizars, who engraved the earliest of Audubon's plates and some of Selby's for his Illustrations of British Ornithology. The colouring in this copy is particularly fine and the botanical additions, including the floral backgrounds are of the highest quality. A very fine copy of an extremely rare work. Fine Bird Books 62; Wood 264; Nissen IVB, 152.

[SW: America/Birds / Ornithology/North America / Canada/game birds]

Details

WILSON, Alexander & BONAPARTE, Charles. AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. London: Whittaker, Treacher, & Arnot, 1832.
Three octavo (5-1/4" x 8-1/2") volumes bound in dark green half morocco and cloth with matching morocco corners, very slightly trimmed down from the original size when rebound about fifty years ago. The first and best of the octavo editions. Illustrated with an engraved portrait frontispiece of Wilson in his shooting costume and 97 fine hand-colored plates. Wood (page 630) notes that the text is a reprint of Wilson's original text including the later notes by Jardine as well as a reprint of the first three volumes (all then published) of Bonaparte's AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. Theoriginal plates of both authors were re-engraved by Lizars on a smaller scale on glazed drawing paper. Wood also notes that the backgrounds of the plates were left uncolored, and that is the case here. The plates in this copy are exceptionally clean, bright, and unfoxed. There is light offsetting to the text opposing the plates due to a lack of tissue guards. Mild rubbing to the joints, but the bindings are tight with no cracking..

First Edition, 1/2 morocco, All in all, a Fine, clean set of this important work..

[SW: 19th Century Illustrated Natural History Ornithology Hand-colored Birds Alexander Wilson Americana,]

Details

Alexander Wilson and Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The Illustrative Notes and Life of Wilson by Sir William Jardine: AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY OR, THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF THE UNITED STATES (3 Volume set) London Cassell Petter & Galpin
Very Good

AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY OR, THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF THE UNITED STATES (3 Volume set) ; Alexander Wilson and Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The Illustrative Notes and Life of Wilson by Sir William Jardine: London, Cassell Petter & Galpin, no date [1877]. Hardcover, complete in 3 volumes. Green leather spines with gilt lettering and gilt eagle, on red boards, top edge gilt. large 8vo. Pp cv + 408 + 9pp ads, vii + 495, vi +540, 103 Chromolithograph (colour) plates. Plates mostly by Wilson, but 27 in Vol.3 by Titian R. Peale and A. Rider. B&w frontis portrait in volume I with tissue guard. All books are in Very Good condition. Recently professionally reset, with new inner joints on original boards and with original endpapers, books are tight and solid. Minor bumping to board corners with rubbing and slight staining on boards. Spine backstrips in VG condition with no loss or cracking and no chipping or scuffing. Block fore and lower edges a little spotted. Prelims and last few pages of each foxed, otherwise internally generally very clean. All plates present and bright. A super solid set of this scarce work in the best condition we have seen. Half-Leather 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall

[SW: Birds, Natural History, Ornithology]

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