Beschreibung:

[Whymper, Josiah Wood, illustrator]. Plates Illustrative of Natural History [cover-title], 7 volumes, London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1843-50, letterpress title-page to each volume, 210 wood-engraved plates each containing descriptive letterpress, variable toning, a few plates closely trimmed shaving imprint or other subsidiary text, damp-staining to fore margins of volume 1 (stronger towards front, also affecting lower margin of title-page and first plate), volume 3 with marginal worm-track to title-page and first plate, volume 4 with very light marginal damp-staining and with small hole to margin of 3 consecutive plates, volume 7 lacking front free endpaper, original cloth, front covers lettered in gilt, covers variably marked and water-stained, sections of wear to joints and extremities, housed in a custom solander box, large oblong 4to (33.5 x 27.4 cm) (Qty: 1) Each volume has the printed title 'Thirty Plates Illustrative of Natural History'. Volumes one and two are dated 1845 and 1847, volume four, 1843 and volume five, 1850; the others are undated. Provisional general title-pages appear to have been issued at two points during the work's lengthy publication: in 1843, with 120 plates published (and the title 'One Hundred and Twenty Plates Illustrative of Natural History'), and in 1845, with 151 plates published according to Freeman (3031), who notes a bis plate (number 19), not present here or listed on the title-page of the relevant first volume. Seven volumes appear to be all that was eventually published. No other set approaching 210 plates can found in auction records; Library Hub identifies a scattering of individual volumes or highly fragmentary sets in UK institutions.