John Gould | A Monograph of the Trogonidae, [1858-] 1875, contemporary green half morocco

John Gould

A Monograph of the Trogonidae, or Family of Trogons. London: Taylor and Francis for the author, [1858-] 1875

Second edition, folio (548 x 375mm.), title-page, dedication leaf, 47 hand-coloured lithographed plates by Gould, William Hart, and Henry Constantine Richter, contemporary green half morocco, gilt edges, marbled endpapers, some light spotting, dampstain affecting two leaves (illustrations unaffected), split in final gathering, extremities rubbed

Specimens of these exotic, brilliantly coloured birds were difficult to come by and little was known of them when Gould published the first edition in 1838. However, their appeal was enormous, not to mention popular, and so a second edition — listing new species and with additional information — was published. In his preface Gould notes that "although I entitle this work a second edition […], it is in reality a new publication, all the plates having been redrawn, and many new species figured for the first time". Some of the new plates include greater background detail, comprising florid tropical plants or smaller birds.

For more information about Gould, please refer to Lot 88.

LITERATURE:

Anker 171; Fine Bird Books, p. 77; McGill/Wood 365; Nissen IVB 381; Sauer 21; Zimmer, p. 261