[GOULD, John.] SHARPE, R. Bowdler. Monograph of the Paradiseidae, or Birds of Paradise, and Ptilonorhynchidae, or Bower-Birds.

The last of the fine bird books from Sotheran’s vaults

[GOULD, John.] SHARPE, R. Bowdler. Monograph of the Paradiseidae, or Birds of Paradise, and Ptilonorhynchidae, or Bower-Birds.

London: Henry Sotheran & Co. 1891–8.

79 uncoloured lithographic plates (560 x 390 mm) on thick paper, 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; a full set with text leaves; a little age toning, otherwise near fine.

A full set, splendidly preserved, of the original unbound and uncoloured leaves from the first edition of this monumental posthumous summation of John Gould’s work on the birds-of-paradise.

The eminent ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe (1847–1909), author of the text of this monograph, had previously completed Gould’s Birds of New Guinea after his death in 1881, and later successfully rallied subscribers to bring this work to completion – what English writer Sacheverell Sitwell described as ‘the last of the fine bird books’. Sharpe best tells the story of the genesis of the work in his preface: ‘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. Many of them were broken or otherwise damaged, and of these some have been redrawn or replaced by new plates by Mr. Hart. Since Gould’s time, however, many marvellous new species have been discovered, and these have been described and figured in the present work’.

This copy of the complete text and plates of this magnificent work has remained uncoloured in Sotheran’s vaults since it was printed in the 1890s.

One of sixty available for sale. Each one being numbered and signed by our Chairman along with a certificate of authenticity.

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

In recognition of Gould’s remarkable legacy, we will be donating from each sale to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds which will also be offering sets to its members.

£500 from the sale of each set of leaves from the first edition of [GOULD, John.] SHARPE, R. Bowdler. Monograph of the Paradiseidae, or Birds of Paradise, and Ptilonorhynchidae, or Bower-Birds will be donated to the RSPB, a registered charity in England and Wales, number 207076, and in Scotland, number SC037654.

Please note that the price of the set includes VAT, which will be removed for overseas customers. Do not hesitate to get in touch should you require any further information.

SKU: 2123641