History of British Birds. Vol. I: Land Birds [and] Vol. II: Water Birds

Description:

The figures engraved on wood by Thomas Bewick. Mixed edition: Land Birds [1798], second edition; Water Birds (1832), later edition, published posthumously by Bewick's son, Robert Elliot Bewick.

Vol. I: Roscoe 15d (Thin royal), the printed price of 13 s. at foot of title altered in ink to 15 s. Page xiv is misnumbered xvi. Gathering M3 bears the signature mark M2. Advert to final leaf is for the fourth edition of Quadrupeds.

Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) was a passionate naturalist, ‘a son of nature’, as Audubon called him, a man immersed in the English countryside. He is considered as England’s most masterly engraver, and his books are illustrated with his charming wood engravings. Bewick created these books with the purpose of instructing the youth, remarking on his illustrations, ‘… I illustrated them by figures delineated with all the fidelity and animation I was able to impart to mere woodcuts without colour; and as instruction is of little avail without constant cheerfulness and occasional amusement, I interspersed the more serious studies with Tale-pieces of gaiety and humour.’ (Roscoe, p. xv).

Condition

2 vols, roy. 8vo (230x14.5mm), 19th-century full green morocco, gilt-ruled borders, raised bands to spine, gilt tooling to compartments and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers. Light wear to corners. Each volume with a leaf of pencilled bibliographical notes bound at front. Life-sized, hand-coloured drawing of a butterfly bound at p. 127 of Vol. I. A few marginal notes in pencil. Some light foxing, especially to the first volume. A very attractive, uniformly bound set. Ex-libris Michael Tomkinson (1841-1921), businessman and collector, Mayor of Kidderminster in 1887, and Sheriff of Nottingham in 1892.