A History of British Quadrupeds; Naturalist's Library, Mammalia, Volume VII by William Macgillivray, Editor: William Jardine - 1838

EDINBURGH: W H LIZARS, 1838 A very good copy of the 1st edition of Volume VII of the Mammalia in Jardine's Naturalist's Library. This volume covers a wide range of animals, including hedgehogs, bats, hares, squirrels, rats, voles and deer. It is a poignant sign of the times for readers in Great Britain that the section on squirrels covers the 'Red or Common Squirrel', with no mention of the Grey. In original publisher's cloth binding. With listing of volumes in the Naturalist's Library; half title; engraved portrait of Aldrovandus; vignette title page with a picture of polecats menacing a duck; 3 further title pages; advertisement from the publisher; contents listing; Memoir of Ulysses Aldrovandi; text including numerous engravings; appendix; 34 hand coloured plates bound at the rear; and publisher's advert. The binding has been rebacked, relaying the original spine, so is sound and tight. The top of the gilt title is missing but the remainder is bright. The boards have a little fading to edges and very slight light spotting. Bottom corners bumped. The original endpapers have been retained and repaired - slight marking to front pastedown. The contents are generally very clean and bright with well-coloured plates. There is some brown spotting to frontispiece portrait and guard and the final tissue guard has a hole. P 177 has a small repaired tear to the top margin and pp 179-184 have a small triangular piece missing from the top margins (not affecting text), presumably where the book was badly opened. Around 4 pages have had a corner turned over at some point. There is the usual light brown toning towards page edges, which are untrimmed.