Edwards (George). Natural History of Uncommon Birds, and of Some Other Rare and Undescribed Animals... from designs copied immediately from nature, and curiously coloured after life... to which is added, a brief and general idea of drawing and painting in water-colours; with instructions for etching on copper with aquafortis: likewise some thoughts on the passsage of birds; and additions to many of the subjects described in this work, 4 volumes, printed for Author, at the College of Physicians, in Warwick-Lane, 1743-51, & Gleanings of Natural History, exhibiting figures of quadrupeds, birds, insects, plants &c. most of which have not, til now, been either figured or described, 3 volumes, printed for the author, at the Royal College of Physicians, in Warwick-Lane, 1758-64, 7 volumes in all, containing 362 fine hand-coloured copper engraved plates (210 and 152 plates respectively to each work), uncoloured engraved portrait of the author by Johann Sebastian Muller after Bartholomew Dandridge, 4 uncoloured engraved plates (including 3 folding) to first volume, single uncoloured engraved plate of Un Samojeed facing page 118 in the second volume, each of the first 4 volumes with printed French translation bound at rear, the 3 volumes of Gleanings of Natural History with parallel English and French printed text in double column, some offsetting from the plates to facing tissue-guard (as usual), the second volume with first issue misprint 'Afrer' to title-page, marbled endpapers, bookplate of Charles 1st Viscount Eversley of Heckfield (1794-1888) to front pastedown of each volume, contemporary uniform full tree calf, with Greek-key design to outer border of each cover, spines with gilt motifs between compartments and contrasting red and green morocco title and volume labels, very slightly rubbed and minor wear to extreme head and foot of spines, several volumes with joints partly cracked or tender, edges lightly rubbed, 4to (29 x 23 cm) (Qty: 7)Provenance: Charles Shaw-Lefevre (1794-1888), 1st Viscount Eversley of Heckfield, MP for North Hampshire from 1832 to 1857, and Speaker of the House of Commons from 1839 to 1857, the second-longest serving speaker of the House of Commons after Arthur Onslow. Anker 124-126; Fine Bird Books (1990) 93; Jeanson, Ornithologie (1988) 27; Lisney pp. 128-144; Nissen IVB 286-289; Zimmer pp. 192-4 & 196-9. A fine set in contemporary uniform binding of 'one of the most important of all bird books, both as a fine bird book and a work of ornithology' (Sitwell, Fine Bird Books). The father of British ornithology, George Edwards (1694-1773) was appointed librarian at the College of Physicians, with the assistance of Sir Hans Sloane, who also employed him to draw curiosities from his own collection. These drawings, as well as others made by Edwards from the collections of his circle, including Mark Catesby, and the Dutchman Gideon Loten, formed the basis of his Natural History. Amongst the species described, some of which appear in print for the first time, are many from India and North America. Edwards personally oversaw the colouring of the engravings - 316 of which are of birds - carefully supervising the colourists who worked from twelve model copies coloured by the author himself. The work includes 'some brief instructions for etching on engraving on copper-plates', Edwards having been encouraged to etch his own plates by Catesby, and 'A Brief Idea of Drawing and Painting in Water-Colours'.
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