François Levaillant | Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guepiers, Paris, 1807, marbled calf gilt

François Levaillant

Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guepiers... faisant suite à celle des Oiseaux de paradis. Paris: Denné le Jeune, 1807

Folio (514 x 335mm.), 83 fine engraved plates, printed in colour and finished by hand, contemporary marbled calf gilt, rebacked retaining elements of original spine, spine with raised bands in seven compartments, morocco lettering pieces to second and third compartments, marbled edges, marbled endpapers, captions of a few plates slightly shaved (not affecting illustrations), foxed at margins, some transfer

Loosely inserted in this copy is a letter, dated "Jan 7 1963", on headed stationery from G. Heywood Hill Ltd., addressed to Henry Rogers Broughton, affirming the Baron's assertion that this copy is complete with 83 plates, since "there never was a plate in the first part" and "if you turn to page 50 of the supplement the absence of this plate is explained".

For the same style of binding and the armorial bookplate of Sir William Eden, see also lot 410.

LITERATURE:

Anker 305; Nissen IVB 560

PROVENANCE:

Sir William Eden, armorial bookplate to front pastedown