Sharpe, Richard Bowdler.

First edition, 2 volumes, folio (548 x 370mm.), lists of plates, 79 hand-coloured lithographed plates by and after J. Gould, J.G. Keulemans, and W. Hart, printed by Mintern Bros., contemporary blue-black morocco, gilt edges, a few plates with faint marginal dampstaining in first volume, one plate (Drepanornis albertisi) with short marginal tear

Collingwood Lindsay Wood, Freeland, Perthshire, armorial bookplate; Frederick, 2nd Lord Hesketh, bookplate

Fine Bird Books, p.107; Nissen IVB 865; Wood, p.565; Zimmer, p.581

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"Gould, in his Birds of New Guinea, figured nearly every species known in his day, and he had intended to publish a complete Monograph of the Family, for which purpose he kept the lithographic stones from which the plates had been prepared. Thus it came to pass that when Messrs. Sotheran purchased the stock of Gould's works after his death, they acquired the stones with which he had intended to illustrate his Monograph of the Paradiseidae. Many of them were broken or otherwise damaged, and of these some have been redrawn or replaced by new plates by Mr. Hart. Since Gould's time, however, many marvellous new species have been discovered, and these have been described and figured in the present work" (Appendix).