Beschreibung:

A selection of the birds of Brazil and Mexico. The drawings by William Swainson
London: Henry G. Bohn, 1841. Octavo (235x141 mm). Letterpress title (verso blank), 4pp. letterpress 'list of plates'. 78 hand-colored lithographic plates by Swainson. Extra-illustrated with a loosely inserted 2pp. ALS from Swainson to Geo. B. Sowerby concerning a Mr. Guilding’s drawings and Swainson’s intention to publish a work “conjointly with … [Guilding] on the Zoology of the West Indies”. Contemporary green half morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, spine in six compartments with raised bands, lettered in gilt in the second compartment, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. Provenance : William Wordie (bookplate). A fine copy of the second edition of this important and very rare work: 'much appreciated for the beauty of its plates' (Borba de Moraes). Only five copies of the present edition are listed as having sold at auction in almost thirty years. No copies of the first edition have appeared. The first edition of the present work was published between 1834 and 1836. Personal misfortune persuaded Swainson to emigrate to New Zealand in 1840, and the stones and the remaining stock of the plates evidently passed to the great publishing entrepreneur Henry Bohn. He republished the work with a new title and a useful 4-page index giving the English and scientific names of the 68 Brazilian and 10 Mexican birds. The plates he reissued were, where possible, from original stock and reprinted where necessary. BM (NH) p.2055; Borba de Moraes p.844; Fine Bird Books (1990) p.146; Wood p.589; Zimmer p.615.