Beschreibung:

Gould (John). A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds, 25 original parts, 1st edition, London: published by the author, [1849]-61, 360 hand-coloured lithographic plates, all text-leaves as called for, faint spotting to initial plate in parts 1-3, shallow tide-mark to bottom edge of final 4 plates in part 3, scattered black specks in plates of parts 7-8, Hypuroptila buffoni plate in part 7 soiled, paint-splashing to Hylocharis lactea plate in part 18 (colourist's error), a handful of plates partially offset, endpapers spotted, a few pastedowns cockled, otherwise only a few trivial spots and marks, contents clean and fresh overall, each part in original pale green printed paper boards with green cloth backstrip, covers slightly marked or dust-soiled, wear to board-edges, tips bumped, large folio (56 x 38 cm) (Qty: 25) Anker 177; Fine Bird Books pp. 35-40 & 102; Mullens & Swann p. 240; Nissen IVB 380; Wood p. 365; Zimmer pp. 263-4. An extremely rare complete set preserved in the original parts. '[T]he most stupendous of tropical publications ... the Trochilidae of Gould is his masterpiece, and must ever remain a feast of beauty and a source of wonder' (Fine Bird Books). 'The humming-birds of the Americas intrigued Gould and he became an authority on them. He displayed them in a special building he was allowed to build in the zoological gardens at the time of the 1851 Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. More than 80,000 people visited his display, including Queen Victoria. The following year Gould obtained permission to continue the exhibit. His Introduction to the Trochilidae or Humming-Birds was published in five volumes from 1849 to 1861, with 360 plates, in which the brilliant natural iridescence of the humming-birds was portrayed by the application of gold leaf' (ODNB). Only two other sets in the original parts traced in auction records (Christie's London, 21 November 1981, the bindings compromised; Swann, 9 October 1980, lacking four plates).