Humming-birds.
Edinburgh: W.H. Lizars, and Stirling and Kenney, etc. 1834. Two volumes. 8vo. xv, 18-159, [1], [32]; iv, 168, [32] pp. (lots of mispagination). FIRST EDITION. With 63 (of 64) colored plates, all tissue guards present. Half-titles, engraved portrait frontispieces (of Linnaues in Volume I and Pennant in Volume II), hand-colored engraved title pages, plus the title pages to both the Naturalist’s Library series and the Natural history of Humming-birds in both volumes. A lovely copy bound in modern cloth from the Library of Dr. James M. Dolan with his stamp (dated 1974) on the title pages and his son Dr. James M. Dolan Jr. with his faint blind-stamp. Item #16308
First edition of the first two volumes of the Ornithological Series of Jardine’s Naturalist's library (1833-1843), the first successful attempt to make natural history accessible to the general public. The work opens with a short biography of Linnaeus. Jardine describes the birds’ behavior during the breeding season and how they change appearance when they become jealous by expanding their crests, tails and wings. Lizars’ fine hand-colored steel engravings illustrate all aspects of these beautiful birds.
Jardine (1800-1874), seventh Baronet of Applegarth, was a noted Scottish naturalist. His Naturalists’ Library consisted of forty volumes over a period of ten years.
Price: $400.00