Sharpe, Richard Bowdler | From the broken stones

Property from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, sold to benefit the care of the Museum's 22 million specimens and objects

Sharpe, Richard Bowdler

Monograph of the Paradiseidae, or Birds of Paradise, and Ptilonorhynchidae, or Bower-Birds. London: Henry Sotheran & Co. [printed by Taylor and Francis], 1891-1898

2 volumes, folio (534 x 375 mm). 79 hand-colored lithographic plates, mostly by and after W. Hart or by Hart after J. Gould, a smaller number by Hart after J. G. Keulemans or by and after Keulemans, in-text woodcuts and half-tone illustrations; a little minor marginal fingersoiling to two plates, else a clean, bright set. Publisher's deep green morocco gilt; minor rubbing.

"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."

Sharpe appealed to the subscribers to complete the work so that "beautiful new Birds of Paradise ... so that the Avifauna of Papuasia may be completely illustrated." 

The last of the fine bird books.

REFERENCE:

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

PROVENANCE:

Library of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (bookplate recording 22 November 1910 purchase)