Holbrook, John Edwards

Volume I (all published), 4to (11 1/4 x 9 5/8 in.; 286 x 218 mm). 28 hand-colored lithographed plates by A. J. Ibbetson, August Sonrel, and J. Burkhardt, printed by P. Duval (3) and T. Sinclair (25) of Philadelphia; a few scattered spots. Expertly bound to style in half dark blue morocco and period marbled paper covered boards, flat spine in compartments divided by gilt roll tools, lettered in gilt in the second and fourth compartments, marbled endpapers.

Bennett p.56; Meisel III, p.486;  Nissen ZBI 1979; Sabin 32452.

POSSIBLY UNIQUE INTERMEDIATE ISSUE OF HOLBROOK'S EXTREMELY RARE WORK ON FISH.

Holbrook gained renown from his first major published work, American Herpetology, or a Description of Reptiles inhabiting the United States (Philadelphia: 1836-1842, 5 volumes). Through it, he met Louis Agassiz, who became a lifelong friend: Holbrook visited him annually during his summer trips to New England. He then turned his attention to fish and began a Southern Ichthyology (New York: 1847) to include descriptions of the fishes of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, but after the publication of two numbers (a total of 60 pages and two plates), he realized that the field was going to be too extensive and he halted the publication.

He returned to the subject, concentrating his studies on a smaller geographical area and between 1855 and 1857 published the first volume (in ten parts) of the Ichthyology of South Carolina. However a disastrous fire in the Artists' Building in Philadelphia destroyed all the plates, stones, and original drawings and he temporarily abandoned the project. In 1860, the second edition, with the text reworked and all the plates redrawn, was published. In the preface he writes: "As but few numbers of the [first edition]... were distributed previous to the destruction of the original plates, &c., and the present edition is so much improved, I have decided to recall the former numbers, and to replace them by those of the new edition, without expense to the present holders."  Indeed, the plates in the second edition, done by the lithographer T. Sinclair, of Philadelphia, differ dramatically from those of the first, both in terms of coloring and anatomical detail. Unfortunately, once again only the first volume appeared. This time the Civil War intervened and the work was abandoned—this time for good—as during the war Holbrook's library and collections were destroyed.

The present example is an intermediate issue between the first and second editions, composed of text and plates from both editions. Any example of the present work is rare.