Beschreibung:

WOLF, Johann (1765-1824) and Bernhard MEYER (1767-836). Naturgeschichte der Vögel Deutschlands in getreuen Abbildungen und Beschreibungen. Nuremberg: J. F. Frauenholz, 1805 [-1821]. 2 volumes, large broadsheets (500 x 400mm). Titles and text in French and German (lacking German title to vol. I), 176 HAND-COLOURED ENGRAVED PLATES (of 180). (Lacking 4 supplementary plates, a few plates lightly spotted and browned, but a fine copy.) Near-contemporary light-brown calf gilt, covers with decorative border composed of rules and acanthus and palmette roll, the spine in six compartments with raised bands, two onlaid with blue leather lettering-pieces, the others with central bird tool (a swan within a diamond, a dove, two with eagles) surrounded by smaller tools, edges and turn-ins with gilt roll, g.e., by C. Smith (joints and spines lightly rubbed, covers with one or two scuff marks). Provenance : Greve Scheel (stamp on titles); Nathaniel Philips (armorial bookplate); J.G. Children (manuscript letter addressed to him bound in before p.131, vol.I); Beriah Botfield (sale Christie's 30 March 1994 lot 93). FIRST EDITION of a rare work: there are reputed to be only about 16 copies in existence. Few copies have appeared at auction; apart from the Bradley Martin copy (Sotheby's New York, 7 June 1989, lot 239), four copies have appeared in Britain this century and two in Germany since 1960 (with only 85 and 18 plates). None of these copies has had the full complement of 180 plates, cited by Nissen and Fine Bird Books : the British Library and Bradley Martin copies, like the present one, have only 176 plates, lacking the four supplementary plates issued in 1821. The plates, by J. C. Bock and A. Gabler after the latter's work and that of J.M. Hergenröder, are described by Ripley and Scribner as "bridging . . . two eras in ornithology, the eighteenth century era of high stylization and the nineteenth century period of realistic portrayal". The text of this copy has very wide margins to enable the leaves to be bound next to the plates to which they refer: other copies are often bound as two quarto volumes of text and an atlas volume of plates. Nathaniel George Philips (1795-1831), whose bookplate appears in each volume, was an artist and bibliophile whose library was sold by Evans in March 1837 in a two-day sale totalling ¨1464 (this book lot 497, sold to Bohn for ¨18.10). It seems likely that the next (identifiable) owner of this copy was John George Children (1777-1852), the addressee of an undated manuscript letter from the dealers Chambers & Jeffrey bound in before p.131 of volume I. Children was a writer and chemist who was secretary of the Royal Society from 1826-1827 and 1830-1837. In the present letter, Chambers & Jeffrey are responding to Children's concern at the apparent absence of leaves Qqq to Ttt (pp.122-130): they reassure him that, according to the publishers, "nothing is wanting. This deficiency...affects only the catch words and numbers of the pages. I likewise mention a similar mistake in the 23rd number viz. see pages 91-92 have been omitted however likewise without the interruption of the notes or explanations." Nissen IVB 1007; Fine Bird Books p.93; BMC NH p.2348; Wood 633; Ripley and Scribner 314. (2)