Barton, Benjamin Smith

Fragments of the Natural History of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Printed for the Author by Way & Groff, 1799



Folio (13 3/4 x 9 3/4 in.; 350 x 250 mm). Title-page and terminal leaf repaired along gutter. Modern marbled boards, linen spine, printed paper label.

Robert Cushman Murphy (bookplate evidently removed from an earlier binding and loosely laid in) — H. Bradley Martin (bookplate and sale, Sotheby's New York, 12 December 1989, Lot 1366)

Allen 534; Coues 1:592; Ellis/Mengel 179; Sabin 3809; Yale/Ripley 22.

Folio (13 3/4 x 9 3/4 in.; 350 x 250 mm). Title-page and terminal leaf repaired along gutter. Modern marbled boards, linen spine, printed paper label.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

First edition, "One of the rarest of American ornithological works, and the first entirely ornithological paper on American birds written by an American" (Ellis/Mengel). This copy is in the later state with always on page xvi and with Certhia fusca as the last entry on page 11. In spite of the slightness of the text, it is based on extensive observation and is remarkable for the way it relates bird migration to other natural sequences and events. Coues recognized the tract as "one of the most notable treatises on North American ornithology of the last century."