Beschreibung
Second edition, first with engraved plates. Eight volumes in four. London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1797 (voll. IV-V)-1800 (voll. I-III, VI-VII)-1801 (vol. VIII). Quarto (11 3/8" x 9", 290mm x 229mm). Title-pages to each volume and text in English and French. Hand-colored engraved frontispiece, 277 hand-colored engraved plates of birds and 58 of their eggs; 336 plates in total. Collated complete with Nissen. Bound in contemporary green morocco. On the boards, a quadruple gilt fillet border with rosette corner-ornaments surrounding a triple blind fillet border with rosette corner-ornaments. On the spine, five raise bands with gilt scrollwork. In the panels, a triple gilt fillet border surrounding a triple blind fillet border. Title gilt to the second panel, number gilt to the fourth panel. On the edges of the boards, a double gilt fillet, repeated at the inside dentelle. All edges of the text-block gilt. Rear board of vol. IV (vol. VII. VIII) starting at the tail, and loss to the lower rear edge of the spine. Some wear to the fore-corners. Else a very good set, with scattered foxing and a very little offsetting, mostly to the tissue-guards. In vol. I (vol. I. II.), tipped in compliments slip of Clement Walter Heneage. On the front paste-down of the same volume, ink ex libris of Rev. Anthony Austin (with a pencil annotation that the set was presented to him by Heneage). William Lewin (1747-1795) oversaw the first edition of the work (1789-1794), with hand-painted illustrations; copies were therefore limited to 60. The importance of the work is in its depiction of eggs as well as grown specimens; these were largely taken from the collection of the dowager Duchess of Portland. After his death, his sons Thomas (William) and John William completed the engraving of the plates in voll. IV-VIII. The project began in 1795, but the earliest imprint of the present copy is 1797; the bibliographies record varying dates. Clement Walter Heneage (1831-1901) rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade and was awarded the Victoria Cross (for a different, more successful military endeavor in India). Odd to think, therefore, of him thumbing the pages of this account of English birds with their eggs. His retirement from the army afforded him the life of the country gentleman at his family seat of Compton House in Compton Bassett, Wiltshire. Reverend Austin was the rector at Compton Bassett, and perhaps admired the set while calling, and Heneage presented it as a gift. Anker 306, Ayer/Zimmer II, 395, Nissen IVB 562. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 6JLR0063
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