Donovan, Edward

The Natural History of British Birds; or, a Selection of the most Rare, Beautiful, and Interesting Birds which inhabit this country. London: printed for the author and for F. and C. Rivington, 1794 - 1820



10 volumes, 8vo (9½ x 5¾ in.; 241 x 146 mm). 244 engraved plates all handcolored and with tissue guards; spotting on text leaves and tissue guards, in vol. 6 imprint date revised in pen to "1816". Nineteenth-century green half morocco; a few scuffmarks in the leather mended, some light rubbing on the covers.

Anker p. 34; Ayer / Zimmer I, 175

First edition of all but volumes 3, 5 and 6, which are the last edition.

A beautiful set of one of Donovan's most popular publications, the plates based on specimens from his own London Museum and Institute of Natural History. Noted for the quality of its hand-coloring, Zimmer remarks "The plates are not well drawn and are often inaccurate, but the handcoloring is delicate and gives the book an artistic, if not scientific, importance." Volumes 3 and 5 are dated 1815 and 1820 as in the Ayer copy.