BEWICK, T. History of British birds. Newcastle: Sol. Hodgson; Edward Walker 1797
FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE., 2 vols. 8vo., xxx, [ii], 335, [1]; xx, 400 pp.
With 233 cuts of birds in the text. Contemporary half-polished calf over boards, spine gilt; an excellent copy. , The rare first issue of the first edition, as shown by the absence of the words Wycliffe, 1791 from the figure of the sea eagle on p. 11 of Volume I. Published in two parts, the first deals with land birds, the second with water birds. The text of the first volume was entirely written by Ralph Beilby; the illustrations are all by Bewick. It is as illustrator and artist that Bewick is best known, and mainly on account of his excellent woodcuts this work passed through numerous editions, a supplement being published by him in 1821. He also issued a number of small atlases of cuts without descriptive matter. The text in all the treatises bearing his name are mostly compilations from earlier writers.
$US1500
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