Shelley

Best.-Nr. 79118 — London The Trustees of the British Museum 1891. 8vo 22.1 x 14.1 cm. xii 484 i 17 pp.; 13 fine hand-coloured or chromolithographed plates. Original blind stamped cloth with gilt title on the spine. = Single part among the best illustrated of this famous series. With superb illustrations by the famous Dutch bird painters Joseph Smit 1836-1929 and his fellow countryman John Gerrard Keulemans 1842-1912. Smit was at least as good as Keulemans who is widely regarded as one of the best bird illustrators ever. Smit contributed four plates Keulemans nine. Written by the renowned British zoologist chiefly ornithologist Philip Lutley Sclater 1829-1913 and his compatriot and fellow ornithologist George Ernest Shelley 1840-1910 a nephew of the great poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. This part covers the toucans jacamars puffbirds honeyguides barbets cuckoos and turacos. Small stamp of the Zoological Society of London in the lower margin of the title page; otherwise very good clean and unmarked. The binding is extremely well-preserved. Truly a near mint copy. Goode 1896 The Published Writings of Philip Lutley Sclater 22; Nissen IVB 175; 838; Zimmer pp. 95-98. hardcover