Beschreibung:

History of British Birds Volumes I & II, With Three Original Bewick Watercolors.
Newcastle and London: Printed by Sol. Hodgson, for Beilby & Bewick, 1797 (Vol. I); Printed by Edward Walker for T. Bewick, 1804 (Vol. II). 2 volumes. Royal 8vo (230 x 140 mm). Illustrated with 2 original watercolors tipped-into each volume (65 x 65 mm) depicting an anchor and floral motif (Vol. I) and a shell and coral vignette (vol. II) to the verso titles, hundreds of wood engraved bird illustrations and genre vignettes. Contemporary calf, covers double-ruled and tooled in gilt, spines with elaborate gilt rules and green morocco lettering labels, marbled endpapers and edges. Condition: scattered light foxing, ink edits and margin notes; covers with some light rubbing, extremities lightly worn. Provenance: Rev. Henry Cotes, Vicar of Bedlington (Bewick engraved bookplates; signature to title of Vol. I; notes and edits in his hand); Peter & Iona Opie (“Mother Goose” stamp to verso of front free endpaper. first editions with three original bewick watercolors; rev. henry cotes copy. This copy with numerous notes by Cotes, acknowledged by the editor in the second volume. The edits were perhaps intended for the revised second edition of 1798. The second volume has holograph motto, taken from Genesis, “Let the water bring forth abundantly, the moving creature that hath life, and the fowl to fly above the earth…” But this is followed by a note that Bewick denied the motto “afraid of waste of paper.” Another note in the preface discusses an addition that Bewick found to be “too religious.” Roscoe 14b (A), 17b (B). [With:] Original Watercolor depicting the heads of two ducks, a caption, thought to be in Bewick’s hand, reads “Male Teal. 2 Vol. p. 513” perhaps referring to a working manuscript. On the reverse is a list of 19 different ducks noting the color ranges of their bills.