A History of British Fishes. Vol. I-II [and] An Outline of the Animal Kingdom [and] A History of British Quadrupeds [with] ... Reptiles [and] A History of British Birds. Vol. I-III

Description:

A fine, uniformly bound, large paper (imperial 8vo) set of first editions. William Yarrell's Birds (1843) and Fishes (1836) both with the Supplements (1839 and 1845 respectively); Thomas Bell's Quadrupeds (1837) and Reptiles (1839); T.R. Jones' Animal Kingdom (1841). These works were early volumes in a series on British natural history, published by John Van Voorst. Illustrated by numerous charming wood engravings and vignettes. The more sumptuous 'large paper' editions are more desirable and much scarcer than the standard editions. Freeman states that only 50 copies of the imperial octavo edition of Bell's two works were produced, and numbers of the other volumes are likely to have been similarly limited.

Freeman 4176, 267, 268, 2026, 4177.

Condition

8 vols bound in 7, imp. 8vo (282x195mm), uniformly bound in cont. full morocco by Clarke & Bedford, raised bands to spines, rich gilt-tooling to borders, spine compartments and turn-ins, double gilt fillet to board edges, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Very minor rubbing to extemities. Some foxing to endpapers and flyleaves, occasional spotting elsewhere, but generally very clean. An exceptionally fine set. Several volumes with the armorial bookplate of Ernald Lane.