Zoology

Berlin, (Berolini), Augusti Rücker, 1819; Vienna (Viennae), Antonii Strauss, 1824. 1st Edition . Hardcover. .. Two volumes. I. Text: Crown octavo. Pp. x, 811. Plus 3 foldout engraved plates bound at end. HARDCOVER, bound in contemporary and first binding of boards and paper-covered lettered spine; bit dusty, spine frayed, small contemporary signature to first blank, also to verso of one plate. In a very good condition, untrimmed copy, preserved entirely in the original state. [AND:] II. Atlas. Folio (420x290 mm). Pp. (ii), 12, plus 18 full-page plates printed in chiaroscuro lithograph, exquisitely hand-coloured by contemporary hand. Handsome bust portrait of Franciscus Redi engraved on title-page. HARDCOVER, bound in contemporary half calf and marbled boards, corners rubbed, backstrip replaced with archival cloth tape; small old signature to corner of first free endpaper. An ample margined copy, preserved entirely in the original state. In fine internal condition. Excellent plates in the… Read More

Journal of Arid Environments. Volume 1 (1978) - Volume 71 (2007) [LACKING Volumes 55 part 2 through to Volume 58 part 1, and parts 42 (4), 46 (3), 51 (3) and 54 (2 & 4). Extremely scarce - an almost complete set to 2007. Paperbacks, in parts as issued, very good condition. {Because of the extreme weight, delivery can really only be contemplated within most of mainland UK.}. Paperback. Very Good.

Loose in folio. Light moisture mark to lower left margin; light foxing (see image 1). Thirty sur blanc folio plates, 29 of which are hand colored. Please request further images for details. ; Folio (16x13 inches); All shipments through USPS insured Priority Mail.

Title, xxviii, 329 p.; xii, 373, 10 folding plates.
First French edition, greatly expanded from the 1767 edition. Fontana's extensive research on snake venom is considered the beginning of modern toxicology."A contribution to comparative zoology by one of the foremost anatomists of the eighteenth century" - Wood. p. 344

London : Rivington and Co, 1799 A fair copy of Edward Donovan's work on British Shells, in contemporary half morocco bindings with 180 hand coloured plates. Donovan is justly famed for his accurately observed and delicate illustrations of wildlife - mainly birds, insects, fish and shells. He took advantage of the large numbers of specimens being brought back to museums and private collections from voyages and expeditions. British Shells was issued in parts between 1799 and 1803 and subscribers would have been able to bind their copies as they chose. Donovan's works had limited distribution because of their expense, and have become scarcer as many sets have been broken up for their plates. This set is half morocco, with gilt lines to the spine and gilt titles, volume numbers and dates, and has marbled boards. The page edges have been minimally trimmed. The bindings are worn but sound - so the morocco is losing its surface on the spine joints and corners and there is general edge wear. The… Read More

No. 21, Plate CI from Audubon's Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. Brilliant hand-colored lithograph transferred to stone by W.E. Hitchcock and R. Trembly and printed by J.T. Bowen. Overall sheet size: 53.5 x 70 cm. (21 1/8 x 27 5/8 inches); image size (sans text) approximately 44 x 61 cm (17 1/4 x 24 inches). Fore edge gilt. Superb copy without toning, foxing, mat burn or tears.; Folio; All shipments through USPS insured Priority Mail.

London: Kegan, Paul, Trench & Co., 1889. Second edition., 1889. Second British edition. 8vo. Frontispiece portrait of Frank Oates. xlix, 433 pp. Illustrated throughout, many from drawings and water-color drawings by Frank Oates and William Oates. Included are 6 chromolithographs in the text and 14 hand-colored plates in the Appendix. There are four fold-out maps. Bound in the original pictorial green cloth on beveled boards, stamped in gilt and dark brown. The second edition was greatly expanded over the first edition of 1881, including now the stunningly beautiful 14 hand-colored prints. This book was the Oates family copy and has the bookplates of William Edward Oates (who accompanied Frank on the journey herein related) and Robert Washington Oates on the front pastedown and front free endpaper respectively, and, notably, the bookplate of the late Frank Oates (1840-1875) on the verso of the rear free endpaper. Beneath Robert Oates' bookplate is a small printed label which reads… Read More

London: Printed for Harrison and Co, 1785. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. 1st ed. Two volumes in one. Folio ( 14 inches ). Early -mid 20th century half leather and cloth with gilt spine title, marbled end papers. Complete with index, Preface, text and 100 hand colored plates with many individual animals per plate. Very Good, very tight, very slight wear to covers. The hinges have been professionally strengthened with a high quality cloth tape. The text and plates are generally nice and clean save the following: there is a light, old stain at the top of the second blank end paper, title page, index page, preface page, first plate and first page of text ( see photos ). The title page has been backed and has a repair at the bottom fore corner. The first pate has been laid down and has some overall soiling in addition to the top stain. Three early text leaves have some heavy foxing. the rest of the text is clean save some very little foxing here and there or some light… Read More

Quarto (12 by 8 1/4 inches) London: "Printed by Joseph Streater, and are to be Sold by T. Basset, at the George in Fleet-Street. J Robinson, at the Golden Lyon in St. Paul's Church-Yard. B. Ayimer, at the Three Pigeons over against the Royal-Exchange. Job. Southby at the Harrow in Cornhil. And by W. Canning, in the Temple." 1688. (16) 267 (12) & (3) 40 pages.

TWO works bound together, as published, in original full mottled calf, with raised bands and gilt ornaments on spine.
Good condition, with some chipping along outside hinges, but holding; and normal wear to corners. Title page of first part printed in red and black. Lower right corner of title page to second part torn and missing, but not affecting text; and minor old insect damage to lower portion of same; date and other particulars still very readable. Engraved bookplate of Henry Maister (of an early English mercantile family).

There are thirty-one full page engravings of animals in the first part; and five full page engravings of scientific… Read More

London : J Johnson, 1795 A very good copy of this scarce title, with 46 superb hand coloured plates. William Lewin (1747-1795) intended this work to be the first volume of 'The Insects of Great Britain' series. However he died in 1795 with only this volume completed. This is the rare first issue which has the series title page and ends 'End of Volume I'. The second issue amends the title to the 'Papilios of Great Britain' making it stand-alone. This copy is a later half vellum binding with blind stamped decoration to the buckram boards. Page edges have light marbling and the endpapers are marbled. The binding is in very good condition. There is corner wear particularly to the bottom corners, which are bumped with leather loss. Contents: title pages in French and English; half title page 'The insects of Great Britain'; text in French and English with 46 hand coloured plates; index 3pp. There are 2 mispaginations: plate 6 with text is placed after plates 7 and 8; and… Read More

London : Printed for the Author and for F C and J Rivington, 1806 A fair set of the final 6 volumes of Edward Donovan's beautiful work, with 216 hand coloured plates. Donovan issued the first 10 volumes in parts between 1792 and 1801. He viewed the work as finished, issuing a new title, contents pages and advert. He decided to restart the work issuing Vol XI 5 years later and completing Vol XVI in 1813. This set is in largely contemporary full leather bindings with raised bands, gilt decorative compartments, title and volume labels to spine. The boards have a delicate scroll-type decoration around the edges. All the volumes have wear to corners and edges and have varying degrees of wear to spine joints and ends. Board surfaces have some scuffing. Marbled endpapers. All volumes are complete, with 36 plates per volume. The work was issued in parts over time, so the paper quality varies with some being brown-toned or spotty. Vol XI: front hinge rebacked and spine relaid. 1806; with title; advert pp… Read More

Venice: Heredi di Vincenzo Valgrisi, 1573. Large thick quarto, title page with woodcut device, pp (172), 971, (i), (11), illustrated with many hundreds of woodcuts of plants and animals, the title page has a very old paper repair where a name had been excised, worm hole affects the lower margin of fourteen pages of the preliminaries, without loss of text, ten pages of the preliminaries have a very old neat paper restoration, very occasional age-spotting and foxing, some occasional browning due to paper quality variations, one light tear to pages 257/258 without loss, one ink smear on page 259, a few ink spots on pages 32/33 with very slight loss of text. Overall, however, this is an exceptionally clean, tight copy. Bound in full speckled calf (probably early twentieth-century), with one gilt line around upper and lower cover, raised bands on the spine; the upper joint is cracking but still firm and sound. The Hartland Library copy, with bookplate, stamp and ticket pocket on the front endpaper. Also… Read More

London: Macmillan and Co, 1876. First. Near Fine. Geographical Distribution of Animals, with twenty engraved plates and seven colored maps (5 in Vol 1 and 2 in Vol 2) This is an exceptional set of this seminal work in scientific evolution Light pencil notations in margins on at least one plate London: Macmillan and Co, 1876 First Edition Two octavo volumes Original full green cloth with gilt titles and designs in excellent, sound condition, after a professionally done reinforcement of hinges for both volumes, (since these are heavy books), but all of the original binding and brown endpapers are preserved Corners are slightly bumped Slight foxing on first few and last few pages of each volume, but otherwise text is undamaged throughout Mostly unopened Near fine Provenance: Estate of Russell Johanson, Ravenna Rare Books, Seattle, Wa Ink ownership signature on FFEP's of WA Herdman, (Sir William Abbott Herdman (1858-1924) and eminent Scottish marine zoologist and oceanographer in his own right and… Read More

5 unnumb. letterpress leaves (= 1 leaf 'voorbericht' and 4 leaves description of which 3 with large woodcut tail-vignettes) and 4 handcoloured engraved specimen plates. Loosely contained in publisher's printed blue cardboards. Folio (475 x 295 mm). Spine covering defective, covers soiled and with brown waterstaining in margins.
Not in Nissen, Fischbücher and Dean. Cf. Landwehr, Dutch Books with Coloured Plates no. 28 mentioning a copy with a variant imprint: Zalt-Bommel, J. Noman 1804 with the following remark: Not seen, but quoted by J. de Jong: Alphabetische Naamlyst van boeken 1790-1831. The Hague, Amsterdam 1832. Publisher's prospectus for a Dutch edition of this important ichthyological work the printing of which apart of the 4 leaves of text and accompanying plates came to a standstill for unkown reasons. If the copy cited by Landwehr isn't a ghost our copy seems to predate it, but assuming it to be extant an explanation for the two different imprints might be the elusive fact of a joint… Read More

Second edition of the French translation by M. Gauthier de La Peyronie in 8 text vols. and 1 atlas.
Description: Contemporary marbled calf, sides with gilt frames, spines gilt in compartments with red morocco labels lettered in gilt. 8 text vols., octavo: 20 × 13 cm; 1 atlas, folio: 33,5 × 25 cm. pp. (vol.1): xl, 422; (vol.2): [2]ll., viii, 490; (vol.3): [2]ll., 492; (vol.4): [2]ll., 499; (vol.5): 443; (vol.6): 455; (vol.7): 448; (vol.8): [2]ll., 463; (atlas): 108 pl. Atlas with 108 plates, including four large folding plates (including the large general map of the Russian Empire) and 104 plates (several folding) on ethnology, archaeology, flora and fauna (complete).
Ref.: Brunet: IV, 325
Condition: The boards of the atlas are in very good condition, with only minor signs of wear, such as light rubbing and a few small chips. The bindings of the text volumes are generally in good condition, although they do show some chipping, scratches and washed-out areas on the covers. The gilt frames are partly… Read More