Beschreibung:

GOULD, John (1804-1881). A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans. London: for the Author, [1833-]1834[-1835]. Large 2 o (545 x 368 mm). 33 hand-colored lithographed plates by and after Edward Lear (10) or John and Elizabeth Gould (23), one uncolored plate by and after George Scharf all printed by Charles Hullmandel. Modern black morocco gilt, edges gilt, by Kurt Gaebel; morocco-faced slipcase. Provenance : North Devon Athenaeum, bequethed by H.H. Sharland (stamp on verso of title, on verso of final uncolored plate and on verso of several text leaves). [ With: ] GOULD, John. Supplement to the First Edition of a Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Toucans . London: Published by the Author, January 1st 1855. 2 original parts, large 2 o (559 x 380 mm). Title, Introduction and List of Plates at end of Part II, printed "Notice" tipped to verso of first plate in Part II. 20 hand-colored lithographed plates after Gould and Richter by Hullmandel and Walton (a few plates lightly spotted). (Some light spotting to endleaves, preliminaries and terminal text.) ORIGINAL PRINTED BOARDS (rebacked, part I with endpapers renewed, corners renewed); black morocco gilt folding case. Provenance : North Devon Athenaeum, bequethed by H.H. Sharland (bookplate in Part I, stamp on front pastedown in Part II). A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF GOULD'S FIRST MONOGRAPH, WITH THE 1855 SUPPLEMENT IN ORIGINAL BOARDS. The uncolored plate accompanies Richard Owen's text on the anatomy of the toucan, written especially for the work. The toucan family is limited to Mexico, Central and South America and some West Indian islands. The latin name Burhynchus or Ramphestes (in reference to the size of the beak) was suggested by Conrad Gesner ( Icones Avium , 1560, p.130), and Aldrovandus's corrupted form of the latter ( Ramphastos ) was adopted by Linnaeus. Lear's toucans with their enormous bills and absurdly gleeful expressions are regarded as among the best of his zoological drawings. Gould went on to publish a second enlarged edition of this work in 1852-1854, which he liked to describe as a separate work because of the number of new species described, and because he used the second edition as an opportunity to propose a new division of the group into six genera rather than the two in the present work. Lear's work was used for the second edition but was not credited, and his name was obliterated from the plates, and substituted by the names of Gould & Richter (see Peter Levi, Edward Lear , 1995, pp. 40-41). Anker 170 and 180; Ayer/Zimmer p.252-3; Fine Bird Books (1990) p.77; Nissen IVB 378; Sauer 9. (3)