Gould, John

The Birds of Europe. London: Richard and John E. Taylor, [1832-] 1837

5 volumes, folio (21 1/2 x 14 1/4 in.; 545 x 362 mm). 448 fine handcolored lithographed plates after and by Elizabeth Gould (from sketches by Gould) and by Edward Lear, printed by C. Hullmandel, unnumbered and undated, list of subscribers and general list of plates in vol. 1; some scattered foxing, chiefly marginal, some light offsetting of plates to text. Contemporary green morocco gilt by Hering with his stamp, covers gilt with a wide roll- and ruled frame, spines gilt in six compartments, yellow-coated endpapers, gilt edges; spines faded, joints and extremities a bit worn.

William Peckover (signature, 1842, on front free endpapers) — Algernon Peckover (armorial bookplate)

Ayer/Zimmer 251; Fine Bird Books 101; Hyman, Lear's Birds, 45; Nissen, IVB 371; Sauer 2; Tree, Ruling Passion 45

First edition, the first of Gould's works to feature plates by Edward Lear, whose contributions included the most charismatic subjects in the book: eagles, owls, cranes, pelicans, geese, swans, and flamingos. A total of sixty-eight plates bear Lear's name, and "[t]hey are certainly among the most remarkable bird drawings ever made, [for] it is evident that Lear endowed them with some measure of his own whimsy and intelligence, his energetic curiosity, his self-conscious clumsiness and his unselfconscious charm" (Hyman).

It has also been noted that "Lear's participation transformed the work of Mrs. Gould. ... [H]e propelled her limited sense of perspective into the third dimension. He encouraged movement, vigor, and a sense of character in her birds; he instilled an idea of composition in which the subject related to its background instead of perching in midair like a cardboard cutout. He introduced a sense of subtlety and freedom into her drawings where previously she had only mimicked the technique used in etching or engraving. There is no doubt that Edward Lear was the first person to understand the art of lithography and to use it to its fullest potential. It was a legacy that made the works of Gould into a success and took them into the forefront of nineteenth-century illustration" (Tree).

Although the plate list calls for 449 plates, images 447 and 448 were printed on a single plate.