Meyer (Henry Leonard). Illustrations of British Birds, 4 volumes, London: Longman and Co, c.1835-44, lithographic title pages (later state without diaeresises), 313 hand-coloured lithographic plates (many with eggs to lower corners), original salmon pink printed paper wrappers bound-in (with subscriber's lists to rear panels), very occasional light spotting & dust-soiling, occasional faint offsetting, a few plates with small closed marginal tears, modern blue buckram gilt, all edges gilt, folio, (36 x 26cm) together with 8 morocco boards and one backstrip contained in blue buckram box (Quantity: 4) Mullens & Swann pp. 401-3; Nissen IVB 627. 'One of our most valuable illustrated works on ornithology, in fact before the publication of Lord Lilford's Birds of the British Islands it stood sui generis' (Mullens & Swann). The first edition was published between 1835 and 1841, with 313 plates. According to Mullens and Swann, the second issue (published in 1837-44) 'is identical in appearance but is printed on stouter paper, and has a number of plates containing figures of eggs in the lower corners which are not in the first issue'. However, the concurrence of the different issues and editions means that plates were often interchanged or duplicated, and Meyer often produced extra plates for friends and associates, meaning that 'hardly any two copies ... [are] alike' (ibid.).
Meyer (Henry Leonard). Illustrations of British Birds, 4 volumes, London: Longman and Co, c.1835-44, lithographic title pages (later state without diaeresises), 313 hand-coloured lithographic plates (many with eggs to lower corners), original salmon pink printed paper wrappers bound-in (with subscriber's lists to rear panels), very occasional light spotting & dust-soiling, occasional faint offsetting, a few plates with small closed marginal tears, modern blue buckram gilt, all edges gilt, folio, (36 x 26cm) together with 8 morocco boards and one backstrip contained in blue buckram box (Quantity: 4) Mullens & Swann pp. 401-3; Nissen IVB 627. 'One of our most valuable illustrated works on ornithology, in fact before the publication of Lord Lilford's Birds of the British Islands it stood sui generis' (Mullens & Swann). The first edition was published between 1835 and 1841, with 313 plates. According to Mullens and Swann, the second issue (published in 1837-44) 'is identical in appearance but is printed on stouter paper, and has a number of plates containing figures of eggs in the lower corners which are not in the first issue'. However, the concurrence of the different issues and editions means that plates were often interchanged or duplicated, and Meyer often produced extra plates for friends and associates, meaning that 'hardly any two copies ... [are] alike' (ibid.).
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
