Beschreibung:

ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud. The New and Heretofore Unfigured Species of the Birds of North America . New York: by the author, [1866]-1869.
ELLIOT, Daniel Giraud. The New and Heretofore Unfigured Species of the Birds of North America . New York: by the author, [1866]-1869. 2 volumes, elephant folio (589 x 460 mm). List of subscribers, lists of plates, 21 mounted engraved illustrations by W.J. Linton in the text and 72 FINE HAND-COLORED LITHOGRAPHED PLATES after Elliot, J. Wolf and E. Sheppard by Bowen & Co. and C.F. Tholey. (Some intermittent pale spotting.) Contemporary red half morocco, spines gilt, edges gilt; cloth slipcase. Provenance : Giraud Foster (1850-1945), original subscriber, nephew of Elliot. FIRST EDITION, ONE OF ONLY 200 COPIES PRINTED AND A SUBSCRIBER'S COPY; only 71 names appear on the original subscribers list. The work is dedicated to Alexander Wilson "Pioneer of American Ornithologists" and the first sentence of the Preface pays homage additionally to Audubon: "Since the time of Wilson and Audubon, no work has been published upon American Ornithology, containing life-size representations of the various species that have been discovered since the labors of those great men were finished." Nearly all of the species are illustrated life-size and Joseph Wolf's depiction of the falco islandicus has become one of the icons of ornithological illustration. This copy was originally owned by Elliot's nephew, Giraud Foster. Elliot's given name was Daniel Giraud Foster; he changed it for publication. Nissen IVB 294; Zimmer p. 205; Fine Bird Books p. 74; Sabin 22227. A FINE SET.